FC St. Pauli

As announced, head coach Olaf Janssen named goalkeeper Robin Himmelmann, Aziz Bouhaddouz, Mats Møller Dæhli and Luca Zander in his starting lineup. The 50-year-old opted for a 4-4-2 formation with Bouhaddouz and Sami Allagui up front. Bremen boss Alexander Nouri went with a back three in a 3-5-2. Former St. Pauli player Max Kruse began as captain, while another old boy in Fin Bartels started on the bench.

On a perfect playing surface Bouhaddouz had the first half-chance after four minutes. His header from a Daniel Buballa cross proved easy meat for Werder keeper Jiri Pavlenka, however. At the other end Himmelmann was at full stretch to keep out a long-range effort from Aron Johannsson four minutes later.

After a brief period in which the two teams cancelled each other out the Boys in Brown struck in clinical fashion on 22. Capitalising on a wayward pass they broke quickly and Allagui could have gone for goal himself but instead elected to square the ball for Bouhaddouz, who swept a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner to give his side the lead.

With Janssen's side defending solidly as a unit, the visitors struggled to find a way through. It was going to take a set piece and when Florian Kainz whipped the ball into the box on 32 Luca Caldirola directed a header towards goal but it was no problem for Himmelmann. Werder edged the possession in the ensuing period but it was the Boys in Brown who fashioned the chances. Bouhaddouz was denied by Pavlenka from a free-kick on 41 and three minutes later Sobota drilled an effort wide of the far post.

Sami Allagui, seen here shrugging off a challenge from Ulisses Garcia, impressed up front.

While Janssen sent out an unchanged side for the second half, Nouri introduced four new players, including Bartels. The former St. Pauli man was in the thick of things within minutes, teeing up the unmarked Kainz with a neat backheel, but Himmelmann was on hand to keep out what looked like a certain goal. Just 60 seconds later Allagui had the ball in the net at the other end, but the ex-Hertha striker was adjudged to be offside.

Five minutes the ball was in the net again but this time it counted, to the disappointment of the home fans. The visitors seized on a misplaced pass and the move culminated with Bartels steering a textbook cutback from Theodor Gebre Selassie past Himmelmann for the equaliser.

Janssen made his first changes with just over an hour gone, throwing on Jan-Philipp Kalla and Cenk Sahin for Zander and Møller Dæhli. And within five minutes the two substitutes were celebrating the restoration of their team's lead. The Werder defence were unable to clear their lines following a Sobota free-kick and in the resulting goalmouth scramble Bouhaddouz smashed the ball home from close range to make it 2-1.

Janssen's charges continued to keep things tight at the back and up front Bouhaddouz almost extended the lead, his 25-metre free-kick passing the angle by a whisker on 79. In the closing stages the Boys in Brown stood firm in their resolve to secure their seventh win in seven warm-up matches and Lasse Sobiech came close to adding a third when his header was cleared off the line just before the end.

FC St. Pauli

Himmelmann - Zander (Kalla 63'), Hornschuh (Schoppenhauer 84'), Sobiech, Buballa - Sobota (Park 84'), Nehrig (Flum 72'), Buchtmann (Neudecker 81'), Møller Dæhli (Sahin 63') - Allagui (Choi 71'), Bouhaddouz

Head coach: Olaf Janssen

SV Werder Bremen

Pavlenka – Veljkovic, Caldirola, Sané – Bauer (Gebre Selassie 46'), Bargfrede, Gondorf (Delaney 46'), Kainz, Garcia (Augustinsson 46') – Johansson (Bartels 46'), Kruse (Zhang 71')

Head coach: Alexander Nouri

Goals: 1-0 Bouhaddouz (22'), 1-1 Bartels (55'), 2-1 Bouhaddouz (68')

Yellow cards: Sobiech - Sané

Referee: Robert Schröder

Attendance: 20,026

Photos: Witters