FC St. Pauli – Fortuna Düsseldorf 3:4 n.E. (0:1)
In the first quarter-final game of the current DFB Cup tournament, Fortuna Düsseldorf won against St. Pauli after extra time and penalties and is now in the semi-finals. It was the second duel between the two within four days. Last Saturday, Hamburg won 2-1 away in the league game in Düsseldorf. St. Pauli is currently first in the second Bundesliga, Düsseldorf is in fifth place.
The second division cup game got off to a slow start. Both teams played with concentration. The Hamburg team kept the ball in their own half for long periods, often in front of their own goal, and tried to lure the Düsseldorf team out of the formation in order to then counterattack.
Already in the 12th minute, Fortuna, already weakened by absences, had to make a substitution due to injury. After a duel, defender Emmanuel Iyoha couldn’t continue. Takashi Uchino came for him. Before the change could take place, referee Sascha Stegeman briefly interrupted the game because pyrotechnics were ignited in the visitors’ block, the smoke of which accumulated above the stands.
Despite a few Hamburg counterattacks, after half an hour there was only one deflected but harmless shot on goal from Johannes Eggestein, which Düsseldorf goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier was able to parry effortlessly. The Düsseldorf team, who had not yet had a shot on goal, only made their first promising attack in the 37th minute. Vincent Vermeji, sent into the run from the Düsseldorf half with a long pass, ran alone towards the Hamburg goalkeeper Sascha Burchert, who brought him down. After a VAR check there was a penalty, which the fouled man confidently converted to give the guests a 1-0 lead.
After the half-time break, St. Pauli came back onto the pitch changed. Elias Saad came in for striker Etienne Amenyido, while Manolis Saliakas replaced Lars Ritzka in midfield. The changes and tactical changes by St. Pauli coach Fabian Hürzler changed the game. St. Pauli moved significantly more players forward in the attack, so that there were often five Hamburg players in front of the Düsseldorf defense. The Hamburg team took significantly more offensive actions and received a penalty after a foul. Marcel Hartel ran up, delayed briefly and then placed the ball in the left corner of the goal. Hartel had already scored twice in the league game against Düsseldorf, once from a penalty.
After the equalizer, the game and many of the actions of both teams came to nothing. There were hardly any promising attacks until injury time. In the meantime, the game had to be stopped again due to smoke from the home fans’ block.
In the first half of extra time, St. Pauli started again with many attacks. However, Hamburg had their biggest chance after a Düsseldorf mistake. Joshua Quarshie’s attempt to clear the ball landed at Hartel’s feet, but he hit it over the goal from seven meters and not to take the lead. St. Pauli then made a second mistake. Goalkeeper Burchert couldn’t hold on to a shot on goal by Düsseldorf and let it bounce forward, so that the quick-witted Ao Tanaka just had to push the ball in.
In the second part of extra time, Düsseldorf focused on taking the rhythm out of the game and letting time run out. St. Pauli moved even more players forward and further broke down the defensive structure. In the last minute of the second half of stoppage time, it was Quarshie again whose attempt to clear the ball as a cross landed back in front of the Düsseldorf goal and which Carlo Boukhalfa headed into the goal to equalize.
The first two shooters scored in the penalty shootout. Elias Saad converted the second penalty for Hamburg with a “Panenka” (lob into the middle of the goal). Burchert saved the second Düsseldorf penalty from Cristoph Daferner. After a Düsseldorf goal, Kastenmeier saved again so that Tanaka was able to equalize at the next attempt. When the goalscorer Hartel went for the penalty, Kastenmeier saved again, but the referee canceled the save because the goalkeeper had moved away from the goal line too early. However, he held again on the second attempt. Düsseldorf’s Cristos Tzolis also scored the last goal for victory with a “Panenka”.
In the first quarter-final game of the current DFB Cup tournament, Fortuna Düsseldorf won against St. Pauli after extra time and penalties and is now in the semi-finals. It was the second duel between the two within four days. Last Saturday, Hamburg won 2-1 away in the league game in Düsseldorf. St. Pauli is currently top of the table in the second Bundesliga, Düsseldorf is in fifth place.
The second division cup game got off to a slow start. Both teams played with concentration. The Hamburg team kept the ball in their own half for long periods, often in front of their own goal, and tried to lure the Düsseldorf team out of the formation in order to then counterattack.
