St. Pauli vs Hoffenheim: DFB-Pokal Thriller & Shootout Win

Thanks to keeper Ben Voll, FC St. Pauli reached the round of 16 of the DFB Cup. The replacement for regular goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj fended off two shots in the penalty shootout against Bundesliga rivals TSG Hoffenheim. In the end it was 8:7 for Hamburg. Andrej Kramaric and Albian Hajdari failed because of Voll, and Mathias Pereira Lage failed to put the ball in the goal for Hamburg. After regular time it was 1:1 (1:0), after extra time it was 2:2 (1:2).

After less than 50 seconds, the Kiezkickers took the lead through Hauke ​​Wahl. That had raised hopes of a successful revenge for the 3-0 defeat in the Bundesliga against Kraichgauer nine days earlier. The guests also equalized with a lightning goal at the beginning of the second half. Grischa Prömel scored two minutes after the restart.

With a hand penalty that was at least debatable (107th), Kramaric put the guests in front in extra time. Seconds before the end, Pereira Lage saved FC St. Pauli into a penalty shootout.

A tailor-made start for FC St. Pauli

The hosts got off to an optimal start in front of 28,123 spectators. The early goal from Wahl, who was right after a corner and poked the ball into the goal, had something of a liberation for the Kiez team: Hamburg had only scored once in their last five Bundesliga defeats and had failed to score in the last three games.

The Hoffenheim team tried to react quickly after falling behind. But the coverage around Wahl, captain Eric Smith and Karol Mets was secure. Only a header from Tim Lemperle (8th) and a deflected shot from Prömel (38th) caused some danger in front of the St. Pauli goal before the break.

Another lightning start – this time for the guests

Hoffenheim experienced their special starting moment in the second half. After a corner, Prömel (47th) got a free header and equalized. In the period that followed, the seventh-place team in the Bundesliga controlled the game without being compelling. The Hamburg team continued to rely on their switching game, but they didn’t often find the finishing touches.

The game sputtered along – until the 83rd minute: FC St. Pauli first called for a hand penalty after a shot by Mathias Pereira Lage, in which the ball flew to the elbow of Hoffenheim’s Wouter Burger. A minute later, Hoffenheim’s Bernardo made a spectacular save from just in front of the goal line after a shot from Abdoulie Ceesay. Six minutes later, St. Pauli’s keeper Voll remained the winner in the duel against Ihlas Bebou.

So it went into overtime. The first excitement was a hit on the crossbar by Hoffenheim’s Burgers (98th). At the beginning of the second period of extra time, the decision seemed to have been made: after a cross from TSG player Bazoumana Touré, the ball flew to St. Pauli’s James Sands arm. Unlike in the Burger case in the 83rd minute, referee Daniel Schlager pointed to the penalty spot. Kramaric (107th) converted safely.

But St. Pauli didn’t give up. The reward: Pereira Lage’s equalizer. In a long penalty shootout, FC St. Pauli had the better nerves.