Matchday 07: FC Sankt Pauli – Eintracht Braunschweig 1-0!

That’s better 🙂

The Boys in Brown (wearing white tonight actually) left us speechless for a second consecutive week. On Friday we watched in silent pain an FCSP out of our worst nightmares becoming a toy at the hands of, pointless until then, Erzgebirge Aue. Tonight, only 4 days later, we (I, at least) watched stunned a completely changed team getting a well deserved victory over the theoretical favorites, Eintracht Braunschweig (who are slowly but steady becoming one of our most loyal Millerntor customers!). No spectacular high class football, actually more like a constant retreat during the 2nd half but performed by a squad disciplined, focused and… somehow solid at the back 🙂 Don’t ask too much, these look more than enough for the moment 🙂

 

The worst fuckin’ possible day and time for football and like this wasn’t enough the shitty coincidence of the match taking place almost the same time with the Greek Cup (no venue) figured out only 50′ before the game… Thankfully, quickly reorganized (one of the rare occasions REALLY justifying the existence of mobile phones 😀 ) and by 18:25 everything was running almost smoothly.

The very opening minutes of the game belonged to the hosts but quickly FCSP balanced the game and started even looking hungry. First Tschauner’s defensive attempt (there would be a long time before the next one) on 6′, some good FCSP initiatives, mainly from the left flank, and GOOOOOOOAAAALLLL on 15′!!! Corner from the left, Sobiech and Ziereis almost killed each other but both missed the ball but it was Kringe who returned the ball, within the box from the right again to the keeper’s box where Sobiech this time killed Braunschweig with a close distance header (and his 2nd goal of the season!), 1-0 for FCSP!!! The guests tried and got in the drivers seat but this time things were slightly different than usual with the FCSP defence holding more or less firm without leaving paths open for Braunschweig while always being dangerous on the counter attack. As result of this, only two good occasions for Braunschweig, both of them by long shots, a Reichel shot on 28′, a little wide from Tschauner’s left post and a Nielsen free kick on 38′ where Big Phil dived and deflected at his bottom right corner. Oh yes, there was also a tiny temporary chaos in the box after a corner on 41… In between Buballa (good job) had to make room for Thy due to injury (not serious we hope) and, believe it or not, this was the whole story in the 1st half, with FCSP going to the break with the lead without having done much but without allowing much either. Is almost ironic how the FCSP fans can appreciate an elemental solid defending after all they’ve seen, going, what a feeling reaching half time without having to shut your eyes neither once 😀

Lasse Sobiech has just done it again, 1-0 15′!

2nd half, game on, still with more or less nothing going on (in case anybody rushes to say “this is not good”, he better takes a look at Friday’s game 😀 ), at least until 60′, when Braunschweig had their first (!) big chance of the game after a quick counter attack with final recipient of the ball Zuck who tried the killer, from 10m facing the net, under pressure but Tschauner said “No!” with a magnificent save over his crossbar! Ziereis’ head injury (got up OK!) and consecutive player substitutions slowed siginificantly the already slow pace for 10′ but even afterwards the guests, who were now playing all in, couldn’t find a way through with the FCSP defense handling surprisingly easy the situation. They had to wait until 83′ for something like an opportunity, a Kessel header that didn’t actually worried Tschauner who easily blocked the ball. FCSP had the chance to lock the game but Daube’s finish, from within the box to the left, was awarded only with a corner, thanks to an excellent Gikiewicz save. Last minutes of the game, with ball now more and more into the FCSP box but the FCSP back line behaving well in general (excluding a little panic, see below 🙂 )

Nevertheless, FCSP defense had the asnwers and Braunschweig’s only moment that could be considered as an opportunity was a Bakenga’s shot (92′) from within the box that ended up…somewhere 🙂 Finally, after 94′, full time whistle inside a bouncing Millerntor, a Millerntor not full (damn Tuesday) but loud as haven’t been for a while during the closing 15′, pushing the squad towards victory – in the end they all got their prize 🙂

It’s over!

So hardly needed, so well deserved! Everybody can have his own opinion on the match but most will agree on one thing: this squad had nothing to do with the sad bunch that we witnessed bein torn apart by Aue on Friday. Squad today may had even less shots at goal than previous times but this time scored when the chance was presented and then preserved the lead, not like a panicking mob, but playing in an organized way (at least for our recent standards), all along the game, without giving Braunschweig (even if they weren’t at the expected level, they seem to start trembling in the league) any right to believe that they can feast in our box like almost anybody does lately 🙂 This is probably not what we want in the end but for sure it’s a Hell of a start! Thumbs up for Meggle AND SCHULTZ, thumbs up for the entire squad and let’s hope that this is not another random piece in the FCSP Paranoia Puzzle but a real fresh start for something better 😉

No better chance of finding out than next Sunday’s away mission vs FSV Frankfurt. These guys are in a quite tough position (in fact, they are almost in the position we were before tonight) and they still have an away hard test vs SV Darmstadt 98 tomorrow. Looks handy but so was Aue and I also don’t forget the last time we were there 😦  Predictions not our best lately, we got fucked up waiting to party on Friday and robbed the house while waiting to get abused tonight, so better wait and see what this brown/white funny mob has in store for us on Sunday, DRIVE US INSANE FCSP!!!

Match goals:

1:0 Sobiech (15′, Header, Kringe)

Spectators: 27013

Sankt Pauli cards: Ziereis(3), Nöthe(2)

For full match coverage (in German) visit: http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/2bundesliga/spieltag/2-bundesliga/2014-15/7/2407589/spielbericht_fc-st-pauli-18_eintracht-braunschweig-41.html

Further reading:

• Muckefuck Sankt Pauli photo gallery
• Der Übersteiger
• Grenzenlos Sankt Pauli
• Kleiner Tod
• St. Pauli con Ñ
• USP photo gallery