Leaders FC St. Pauli scored an important three-pointer in the top game of the 2nd Bundesliga against pursuers Fortuna Düsseldorf.
The Hamburg team won 2-1 (2-0) without their yellow-suspended head coach Fabian Hürzeler on Saturday evening (January 27, 2024) in front of 52,000 spectators in the Düsseldorf Arena – up to twelve places on the day of remembrance of the victims of National Socialism and the large demonstrations against On the right in Düsseldorf the stadium was full. The strong Marcel Hartel (16th minute, hand penalty/26th) ensured a comfortable lead in the first round. Christos Tzolis (83′) only managed to score the next goal.
The Düsseldorfers fans hoped for a similar spectacle at the second edition of “Fortuna for All” – the audience had free entry thanks to sponsors – as at the premiere of this campaign, when Daniel Thioune’s team turned a 0-3 deficit against Kaiserslautern into a 4-3 had turned. This time in vain.
Penalty kick after elbow defense
After just three minutes, Hartel had the chance to give St. Pauli the lead, but he was denied in a central position by F95 goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier. Fortune made a save in the 15th minute Vincent Vermeij a free kick with his elbow – referee Markus Wollenweber awarded a penalty, the VAR confirmed the decision. Quite cool Hartel pushed the ball into the bottom left of the goal, Kastenmeier had chosen the wrong corner.
St. Pauli ripped off
The people of Düsseldorf did not allow themselves to be shocked and tried to be whipped up by theirs fans, to answer. But the efforts continued, which the ripped-off Hamburgers dealt a further setback ten minutes after taking the lead. After a cross from Manolis Saliakas, Hartel was there again and headed in from five meters to make it 2-0. Düsseldorf kept the game open after that, but couldn’t create any real chances to score.
Vasilj with great reflexes
The Düsseldorf team came out of the dressing room after the break with commitment and were willing to stage another “Kaiserslautern”. And they were well on their way. Headed in from Nicolas Gavory’s cross Jordy de Wijs at the second post on goal, St. Paulis Keeper Nikola Vasilj directed the ball over the crossbar with a very strong reflex.
St. Pauli’s Elias Saad (56′) could have made the decision, but was denied by Kastenmeier’s strong parry from the edge of the penalty area. Four minutes later, Fortuna were unlucky when a goal from Ísak Jóhannesson didn’t count because the assister, Ao Tanaka, had previously been offside. The Düsseldorf team didn’t lack morale, they never let their heads down and were always willing to turn the game around.
Tzolis makes it exciting again
But miracles like “Kaiserslautern” don’t always happen. St. Pauli was the more mature one team, Düsseldorf made its attacking efforts too headless and remained too imprecise in its execution of the game. At least until the 83rd minute, when Tzoli’s Hauke let Wahl go nowhere, netted from ten meters and made the game a little more exciting again. But nothing changed about St. Pauli’s victory because the bottom line was that Fortuna was too harmless.
Fortuna in Paderborn, St. Pauli against Fürth
Düsseldorf will now play at SC Paderborn on Sunday (February 4, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.). St. Pauli faces Greuther Fürth the day before at 1 p.m.