FC St. Pauli is back in the Bundesliga! On Sunday, coach Fabian Hürzeler’s team took the final step towards promotion with a 3-1 (1-0) win against VfL Osnabrück. There was a party atmosphere at Millerntor before and during the game.
When Oladapo Afolayan scored 2-0 for St. Pauli at 2:47 p.m., to the sounds of Blur’s “Song 2” the remaining tension dissolved and gave way to a collective, explosive scream of joy. There he was, the Roar. The roar for a return to the Bundesliga. “Olé, olé, olé, olé, super Hamburg, St. Pauli”, “Forza St. Pauli” and “St. Pauli, we love you” echoed through the stadium for minutes afterwards.
“It’s unbelievable, the best day of my footballing life. We worked so hard for it.”
— St. Paulis defense chief Eric Smith
Afolayan’s second goal of the day in the 58th minute against the already relegated Lower Saxony eliminated any remaining doubts about promotion and was the start of a more than half-hour-long party in anticipation of the final whistle.
When the bell sounded at 3:21 p.m., FC St. Pauli’s sixth Bundesliga promotion was finally complete and there was no stopping them. Everyone who supports the brown and white team stormed onto the pitch, hugged each other, fell on each other – and celebrated their return to the top echelon of German football after 13 years.
To the sounds of Vicky Leandros’ “I love life” and Marius Müller-Westernhagen’s “I’m back here,” Hürzeler, double goalscorer Afolayan and many other players were taken on their shoulders and carried through the audience. After the end of the game, defense chief Eric Smith was relieved at the microphone from “Sky”: “It’s unbelievable, the best day of my life as a footballer. We worked so hard for it.”
Irvine wants to get a promotion tattoo – and get married
What happens at the party now? “Everything,” said the Swede with a broad grin. “There will be no end to today,” said midfield strategist Marcel Hartel and had the plan to “tear down the Millerntor today.” In the NDR interview, double goalscorer Afolayan knew above all that “I would leave my car here today and enjoy the evening.” And the otherwise so controlled coach Hürzeler stated that “I can become a party animal”.
President Oke Göttlich, who later intoned “We are number one in the city” via microphone from the stands, thanked Hürzeler, the team and sports director Andreas Bornemann and was pleased that “we have rewarded ourselves for a wonderful season.” Captain Jackson Irvine had tears in his eyes after the final whistle and struggled for words: “The team deserved this so much, all the players, all the staff members.” To get promoted, he would get a new tattoo – and get married on Tuesday, he said when he found her again.
Hamburg native Hauke Wahl – who came from fellow promoted team Holstein Kiel before the season – had to collect himself in the dressing room after the final whistle. At first he “felt mostly emptiness because of my story about missing the climb with Kiel.” To be promoted to the Bundesliga with the club from his hometown is something “very special”.
Hürzeler brings St. Pauli and Hamburg back to the Bundesliga
With the promotion, coach Hürzeler and the “Kiezkicker” are putting Hamburg back on the Bundesliga map in the coming season after six years. The novelty: St. Pauli is Hamburg’s sole Bundesliga club for the first time, city rivals HSV remain second-tier for the seventh year in a row after losing 1-0 in Paderborn on Friday.
“I’m happy for the fans, for the city, for the team, for my staff,” said the 31-year-old, who also didn’t want to hide the fact that the pressure had increased in the last few weeks. That’s why he feels above all “pride and relief”. The promotion is the result of everyone “working perfectly in their area over the season. So I’m very, very happy.”
The St. Pauli fans took revenge on Sunday for the derby disgrace of the previous week, when HSV had ruined their city rivals’ promotion by mocking their big neighbor with the old song “Who will be German champions? HHH-HSV”. . The first congratulations on the return to the Bundesliga even came from the Volkspark. “Despite all the rivalry: congratulations on your promotion,” wrote HSV via X (formerly Twitter) under St. Pauli’s promotion post.
Afolayan scores early…
There was already a party atmosphere around the Millerntor hours before the game. The fans marched to the stadium in a large fan march, jumping, singing and dancing. Once there, the fans continued the day’s emotional build-up with loud chants and cheers as well as even more confetti than usual.
And if anyone there was nervous, Afolayan quickly calmed things down with his 1-0 win. Lars Ritzka and Irvine combined beautifully with a one-two on the left side and the Englishman only had to push Ritzka’s exemplary cross over the line (7th).
As a result, center forward Johannes Eggestein had two chances to finish, but first aimed too centrally (18th) and was then blocked (22nd). The bottom of the table was more dangerous until the break: first Noel Niemann’s shot missed Nikola Vasilj’s goal by just centimeters (23′), then a slipped cross from the midfielder flew just wide (39′).
… and scores a brace
If the Hamburg team seemed inhibited and at times unsteady in view of the imminent rise at the end of the first half, they acted more powerfully again at the beginning of the second half – and ensured the decision. Connor Metcalfe’s shot flew just wide of VfL keeper Philipp Kühn’s goal (56′), but two minutes later Afolayan’s second goal of the day relieved all tension. This time Irvine passed in the middle and the Englishman shot coldly (58′).
Ten minutes later, Hartel made it 3-0 with a header from Afolayan’s fantastic cross, and Lars Kehl scored Osnabrück’s consolation goal with a penalty kick in stoppage time (90+1). The promotion party had already been in full swing for a long time after Afolayan’s second goal.
Match statistics FC St. Pauli – VfL Osnabruck
33rd matchday, May 12th, 2024 1:30 p.m
FC St. Pauli
3
VfL Osnabrück
1
Tore:
1:0 Afolayan (7.)
2:0 Afolayan (58.)
3:0 Hartel (68.)
3:1 Kehl (90th +1, penalty kick)
FC St. Paul: Vasilj – Saad, Wahl, Mets – Ritzka (57. Dzwigala), Irvine, Smith (72. Nemeth), Metcalfe – Afolayan (85. Boukhalfa), J. Eggestein (84. Albers), Hartel (85. Kemlein)
VfL Osnabrück: Kühn – Ajdini, Beermann, Wiemann, Kleinhansl – Gnaase (87. Thalhammer), Tesche – C. Conteh (67. Goiginger), Makridis (80. Kehl), Niemann (67. Wulff) – Wriedt (80. Lobinger)
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Sports current | May 12, 2024 | 4:17 p.m
