FC St. Pauli fought for a draw at SC Paderborn with a significant improvement in performance in the second half. Hamburg were very close to an away win.
FC St. Pauli underlined its top position in the 2nd Bundesliga with a 2-2 (0-1) draw at SC Paderborn. After a weaker first half, Hamburg were able to improve significantly in the second half – and stole a point from East Westphalia after goals from Johannes Eggestein (48th) and Jackson Irvine (78th).
Paderborn, which initially took the lead through Florent Muslija (8th) and was later able to equalize through Filip Bilbija (82nd), missed the opportunity to move further up the table.
“The bottom line is that the 2-2 is okay,” said Paderborn coach Lukas Kwasniok, “all in all, St. Pauli’s playing system will crush you at some point. But hats off to my team for coming back after the 1-2.”
Paderborn’s dream goal from beyond the halfway line
In a game that was dominated by tactics for a long time, the Paderborn team took the lead early on with a spectacular goal. Muslija scored with a precise shot from around 50 meters. His ball flew over Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, who was standing far too far in front of the goal, and into the net to make it 1-0 (8th). As a result, both teams largely neutralized each other.
It wasn’t until half an hour later that something happened again in front of the gates. After Muslija missed a brace with a long-range shot just wide of the Pauli goal (42′), Adam Dźwigała was unable to take advantage of a miss from SCP goalkeeper Jannik Huth from close range (43′).
St. Pauli turns the game around after the break
The equalizer came shortly after the break. After a short corner, Hamburg’s Marcel Hartel crossed into the East Westphalia penalty area. Eggestein finished completely free-standing with his forehead from eleven meters to make it 1.1. A few moments earlier, Pauli substitute Connor Metcalfe had a great chance to score, but missed miserably from five meters away.
St. Pauli should then take the lead. Eggestein shot the ball onto the post from 17 meters, captain Irvine made it 2-1. But Paderborn rose again and equalized. Bilbija was able to overcome goalkeeper Vasilj with a direct pass while he was running full speed.
Hectic final phase in Paderborn
The final phase was particularly hectic. The Paderborn team scored another goal in stoppage time, but referee Martin Petersen disallowed it because Bilbija was just offside. In direct response, a Paderborn defender saved on his own goal line.
“We showed the reaction, especially in the second half, were clearly dominant and should have made it 3-1,” said St. Pauli coach Fabian Hürzeler. So there was no need to be surprised that Paderborn would come back again.
Paderborn against Hertha BSC, St. Pauli welcomes Karlsruhe
SC Paderborn travels to Berlin against Herthan on matchday 11 (Saturday, October 28th, 2023 at 1 p.m.). St. Pauli is hosting the KSC at the same time.