FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler was without Hauke Wahl, who was sent off for the first time in 330 competitive matches in the 2-1 defeat at Karlsruher SC. Eric Smith, back from suspension, replaced him in a like-for-like change. Connor Metcalfe also returned after serving his one-match ban at KSC along with fit-again Philipp Treu, with Lars Ritzka and Aljoscha Kemlein dropping to the bench. Horst Steffen made just one adjustment to his starting lineup after the goalless draw against Magdeburg, Luca Dürholtz coming in for Paul Stock.

Against the backdrop of a poignant choreo in the South Stand, the Millerntor fell silent ten minutes before the kick-off in an emotional moment of reflection in memory of the St. Pauli supporter who collapsed before the Karlsruhe game and passed away during the week. Our sincerest condolences go out to all friends and family at this incredibly difficult time!

The Boys in Brown took the field in special-edition jerseys to mark the joint day of action with principal sponsors congstar under the motto "No room for racism". After a brisk opening that saw them camped out in the opposition half, there was an early injury setback for the Hürzeler XI when Philipp Treu hobbled off and was replaced by Lars Ritzka.

Undaunted by the early onslaught, the visitors refused to sit back and sought instead to land a blow up front on the break. With 11 minutes gone, they carved out a promising opportunity when captain Luca Schnellbacher was played into space in the box in fine fashion, only to be denied by Nikola Vasilj. Eric Smith was faster to the rebound than Jannik Rochelt and defused the danger. At the other end, Manolis Saliakas picked out Elias Saad with a cross, but his effort from an acute angle proved no problem for Nicolas Kristof in the Elversberg goal.

Sixty seconds later Rochelt popped up in front of Vasilj again, but the keeper made a clean save. The Boys in Brown were no longer quite as fluent from open play but did create an opening with a nice free-kick routine. Johannes Eggestein helped the ball on to Jackson Irvine, whose header cleared the crossbar. The alarm bells were soon ringing in front of Vasilj's goal, however, when Paul Wanner, the youngest player on the pitch, was presented with two golden opportunities, but Vasilj responded with two impressive saves.

It was then the turn of the Hürzeler XI to threaten. Eggestein nicked the ball off Robin Fellhauer on the edge of the area and knocked it to Saad, whose close-range effort was goalbound until Florian Le Joncour threw himself in the way. The visitors were not the only ones to blunder in the build-up, however, as Manuel Feil dispossessed Adam Dźwigała and raced towards Vasilj, who produced an outstanding reflex save to keep it at 0-0. Nine minutes later, the Bosnian was called into action again to thwart Schnellbacher. The visitors were in the ascendency, but they were stopped in their tracks on 40 when the Boys in Brown struck in clinical fashion with a corner straight from the training ground – as at Karlsruhe a week earlier. Eric Smith whipped the ball in low and hard to the near post, where Eggestein escaped the attentions of his marker to net from close range.

South Stand choreography in memory of the deceased St. Pauli fan

Both sides emerged unchanged after the interval and as in the first half the Hürzeler XI hogged the possession early on, but the goal came at the other end. Several attempts to clear the danger failed, allowing Rochelt to tee up the advancing Maurice Neubauer, who dispatched a crisp angled drive beyond Vasilj into the far corner.

Roared on by the home crowd, the Boys in Brown shrugged off the setback and pushed forward with more purpose than in the first half. Saad fired wide left after a fine solo run and three minutes later Dźwigała forced a brilliant save from Kristof following a pinpoint Saliakas cross. The rebound was put narrowly wide by Saad. It was the best phase of the game for the home side and Hartel and the bustling Saad squandered further opportunities just after the hour mark.

The Hürzeler XI finally took a deserved lead in the 69^th minute when Smith chipped the ball over the top to Irvine. He was denied by Kristof, but Metcalfe kept the ball live and cut it back for Hartel to score with a right-foot shot. The joy proved short-lived, however, as substitute Joseph Bayamba restored parity with an angled drive just 60 seconds later.

Hürzeler responded with the introduction of fresh attacking legs in the shape of Aljoscha Kemlein and Oladapo Afolayan, but it was fellow sub Lars Ritzka who had the next opportunity from a corner. His attempt from range was gathered by Kristof. The game entered the final ten minutes and the Boys in Brown were brought down to earth by two goals in quick succession by the visitors. First, substitute Dominik Martinović played a through ball to Wanner, who gave his side the lead for the first time, and two minutes later Hugo Vandermersch extended the advantage on the break. The Hürzeler XI rallied in the closing stages and pulled one back through Jackson Irvine in time added on, but it was not enough.

FC St. Pauli

Vasilj - Dźwigała, Smith, Mets - Saliakas (Albers 85'), Irvine, Hartel, Treu (Ritzka 9') - Metcalfe (Kemlein 72'), Eggestein (Maurides 85'), Saad (Afolayan 72')

Head coach: Fabian Hürzeler

SV 07 Elversberg

Kristof - Vandermersch, Sickinger, Le Joncour, Neubauer - Dürholtz (Boyamba 68'), Fellhauer - Feil (Martinović 68'), Wanner (Pinckert 88'), Rochelt (Jacobsen 68') - Schnellbacher

Head coach: Horst Steffen

Goals: 1-0 Eggestein (40'), 1-1 Neubauer (52'), 2-1 Hartel (69'), 2-2 Boyamba (70'), 2-3 Wanner (81'), 2-4 Vandermersch (83'), 3-4 Irvine (90'+2)

Yellow cards: Eggestein, Ritzka, Smith, Irvine – Feil, Wanner

Referee: Tobias Reichel (Sindelfingen)

Attendance: 29,546 (sold out)

Photos: FC St. Pauli