One of the best Bundesliga bulwarks stood again: FC St. Pauli celebrated an important victory at 1. FC Heidenheim and, after the 2-0 (1-0), a small lead over the relegation zone.
Three times in a row, games involving the promoted team had ended minimalistically 1-0, but the first two competitive games of 2025 were lost 0-1 against Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Bochum. And in Heidenheim too it looked like a 1-0 result for a long time – but this time in favor of St. Pauli. A converted penalty from Johannes Eggestein (25th) was the only goal for a long time before things became dramatic in the final phase.
Krätzig’s faux pas ushers in Heidenheim’s defeat
A mistake by Heidenheim’s new signing Frans Krätzig was responsible for the visitors’ lead. Completely unnecessarily, the loanee from FC Bayern Munich grabbed his opponent Manolis Saliakas by the shoulder, which the Greek promptly used to fall to the ground. Certainly not an offense that was necessarily the cause of a case like that of the St. Pauli full-back, but also not one in which a penalty whistle was completely absurd.
Eggestein then converted safely and ensured that his team gained a lot of security. Shortly beforehand, Budu Zivzivadze had a great opportunity to put the hosts in the lead, but the new Heidenheim striker (came from Karlsruher SC) headed well over from six meters (22′). On the other hand, Kevin Müller had previously prevented Eggestein’s first goal after a long-range shot (16th).
Müller was also responsible for ensuring that a St. Pauli game ended with a single moment of celebration, as the Heidenheim goalkeeper prevented the visitors from making it 2-0 with a great save in the 34th minute. Philipp Treu came into action after a low cross from close range, but Müller’s reflex was a bit better than the left-back’s shot.
Heidenheim only causes excitement at the end
The second half was an extremely uneventful affair for the 33-year-old for a long time because St. Pauli hardly ever came close to his goal. Heidenheim tried to put the opponent under pressure and come back, but what the Conference League participant did was shockingly harmless. Maximilian Breunig only scored in the 89th minute, although Krätzig was said to have been in a very slight offside position.
“The second half was better, but still not enough – that’s also the truth. St. Pauli has proven all season long that it can defend well, and we really struggled with that.”said Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt in the Sportschau interview. “The team put in a lot of effort, but without clear solutions – and then we were unlucky when we supposedly equalized.”
St. Pauli is very strong again on defense
St. Pauli (only 21 goals conceded) managed to prove once again why it has one of the best defensive lines in the Bundesliga – and then went even further: Morgan Guilavogui scored in the second minute of stoppage time to make the final score 2-0. The promoted team managed to move a little away from the relegation zone and for the first time gained a small cushion of three points over the relegation place, which Heidenheim now occupies, and even six points over the direct relegation zone.
“It was our duty to show exactly that reaction after the defeat in Bochum. We were really good in the duels, against the ball and with the ball. Wins are always great, but this was at the right time with the right reaction “said St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin in an interview with Sportschau.
Heidenheim in Augsburg, St. Pauli against Union Berlin
Heidenheim plays at FC Augsburg this weekend (January 25th, 3:30 p.m.). St. Pauli has to survive against Union Berlin the next day (5:30 p.m.).