FC St. Pauli

After yesterday's postponement due to the weather, the game went ahead without any problems. It took the form of two 60-minute halves to ensure every player had enough playing time. Before a ball was kicked club chairman Oke Göttlich galvanised fans, players and the team behind the team for the second half of the season. "Let's ward off division three together," he said to the crowd.

The Boys in Brown were happy to let the visitors have the ball in the opening quarter of an hour but still controlled the game, building from a solid defence while looking to switch the play quickly on winning possession. Osnabrück were alert to the danger, however, and defused good opportunities to break around the 12^th minute. The first chance of note fell to the visitors in the shape of Halil Savran on 16 minutes. Former St. Pauli man Kwasi Okyere Wriedt delivered a whipped-in cross but the striker's effort cleared Philipp Heerwagen's crossbar.

St. Pauli threatened Marius Gersbeck's goal for the first time ten minutes later. Neatly played in by Cenk Sahin, Lennart Thy knocked in a cross from the right-hand side of the penalty box. He slipped as he did so, however, and the ball smacked against the frame of the goal. At the other end Wriedt evaded a challenge on the touchline and dispatched a cross into the box for the advancing Bastian Schulz to unleash a powerful drive that flew wide the right-hand upright.

After a short break there was little action to speak of until the 40^th minute, when Osnabrück took the lead from a corner. Tobias Willers flicked on Wriedt's ball in and Savran was perfectly placed to nod home at the back post. Bernd Nehrig had the home side's first chance after the restart in the 47^th minute. Keller dispatched a high ball back towards the advancing midfielder, who met it first time only to see his shot fly just over the top.

Three minutes before the end of the first period Vegar Hedenstad almost grabbed an equaliser. A Ryo Miyaichi cross eventually found its way to the Norwegian on the edge of the box. Unfortunately, his first-time effort was too central and Gersbeck was able to punch the ball away from the danger area.

When the action resumed after a 25-minute break both coaches went with 11 fresh players, which allowed Jan-Philipp Kalla and Jeremy Dudziak to make their first appearances since October. Dudziak it was who had the first decent chance in "match 2" on 66. The midfielder played a one-two with Nico Empen before pulling the trigger from just outside the area – but the ball fizzed a whisker past the right-hand upright. After a quarter of an hour Lienen's side won possession and swept forward quickly. Richard Neudecker collected the ball and set off towards goal. His 20-metre drive was blocked, however, by the well-marshalled Osnabrück defence.

The closing stages of the third period belonged to the visitors. First Addy-Waku Menga hit a volleyed effort from 14 metres on 86 that was gathered by Brodersen. Two minutes later Bashkim Renneke did well to break clear on the left and his deflected shot hit the side netting. Osnabrück eventually doubled their advantage at the third attempt in the 90^th minute, Steffen Tigges registering from close range after some fine link-up play.

After a five-minute break the two teams went into the final 30 minutes. Nothing much happened for almost a quarter of an hour until Dudziak came very close to halving the deficit, rifling a shot against the post from 18 metres following a good pass by Neudecker. The visitors added a third minutes later, however, when Menga converted from the penalty spot. That was to prove the last action of note, and it ended 3-0 to the third division outfit.

FC St. Pauli (first 60 minutes)

Heerwagen – Hedenstad, Gonther, Koglin, Keller – Nehrig – Miyaichi, Sahin, Flum, Sobota – Thy

FC St. Pauli (second 60 minutes)

Brodersen – Kalla, Avevor, Ziereis (Tanovic 75'), Buballa – Dudziak, Pahl, Park, Neudecker, Rosin – Empen

Head coach: Ewald Lienen

VfL Osnabrück (first 60 minutes)

Gersbeck – Sangare, Bouazzati, Willers, Heider, Krasniqi, Dercho, Schulz, Reimerink, Savran (Klaas 44'), Wriedt

VfL Osnabrück (second 60 minutes)

1. Tigges – Bleker, Appiah, Renneke, Tüting, Menga, Arslan, Kristo, S. Tigges (Klaas 103'), Hohnstedt, El Bouazzati

Head coach: Joe Enochs

Goals: 0-1 Savran (40'), 0-2 S. Tigges (90'), 0-3 Menga (107')

Yellow card: Miyaichi

Referee: Patrick Schult

Attendance: 2,500

Photo: Witters