TSG ends its own drought
©IMAGO
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has confirmed its away strength in the Bundesliga and exacerbated the crisis at FC St. Pauli. In front of 29,248 spectators at the Millerntor, TSG won 3-0 (0-0) thanks to goals from Bazoumana Touré (54th minute), Andrej Kramaric (59th) and Grischa Prömel (79th). This means that the Kraichgauers have picked up all ten points away from home after seven match days. For FC St. Pauli, however, it was the fourth defeat in a row.
As expected, Adam Dzwigala came into the starting line-up for the Hamburg team to replace the ill Hauke Wahl. Karol Mets and Jackson Irvine initially remained on the bench. Kramaric replaced Muhammed Damar for the guests. “We simply have a good choice in this position with Andrej and Mo – two different types of players and that’s why we decided on Andrej again today,” said TSG coach Christian Ilzer, explaining his decision to the streaming service DAZN.
St. Pauli immediately tried to put TSG under pressure. So the Hamburgers didn’t want to let the guests develop. But Hoffenheim stood securely and also provided the first highlights of the game. Fisnik Asllani scored in the hosts’ goal. The attacker was offside when he finished in the eighth minute. Eleven minutes later, Tim Lemperle hit the post for TSG.
As a result, the two teams neutralized each other. Only in the final phase of the first half did the Kiezkickers increase the pressure again. In the 41st minute, Martijn Kaars had a free shot after a strong pass from Joel Fujita against TSG keeper Oliver Baumann, but was denied by the national goalkeeper. Robin Hranac blocked Mathias Pereira Lage’s follow-up shot in desperate need.
The start of the second half belonged to the guests again. Nikola Vasilj parried a deflected ball from his own teammate Lars Ritzka and a shot from Kramaric. When Touré finished, St. Pauli’s goalkeeper had no chance. While St. Pauli continued to lack precision in their actions, Hoffenheim acted in a calm manner. The strong Kramaric made it 2-0 after a one-two with Lemperle.
Blessin now brought in Andréas Hountondji and Oladapo Afolayan for Pereira Lage and Kaars for the offensive. Against the cleverly acting guests, Hamburg hardly had any compelling finishing opportunities. On the contrary: Prömel caused disillusionment at the Millerntor with Hoffenheim’s third goal. Danel Sinani’s supposed goal (88th) was conceded due to an offside position. For FC St. Pauli, this also ended the small series of two wins against Hoffenheim from last season.