Matchday 34: MSV Duisburg vs FC Sankt Pauli 2-0

A Bitter/Sweet Season Finale

source: http://www.sportschau.de

Season finale at last. Started as super cool, somewhere in the middle we turned to kinda worried but still looking good, a little before the end we started counting points for the relegation zone sweatin’ our pants off and now in this final game we could lay our asses back at our couch and enjoy our beer while watching our beloved Sankt Pauli fuck up once again but this time without any sweat after having secured the stay in the second league, one matchday before.

 

First half underway and an early battle for field possession has started. Chances of course are on our side but this doesn’t mean we would make use of them. Early on 10’ we get up from our seats. Goal on our behalf from Bouhaddouz but gets cancelled immediately since the reff had already charged Diamantakos with foul play some clicks ago. Then later on the same minute the ref denies what most called penalty when Bajic dropped down Neudecker in MSV box. On 16’ Diamantakos flanks from the left and sends a high ball to Bouhaddouz. Bouhaddouz receives the header and executes, unfortunately on Davari’s hands. Good moment though. On 17’ Diamantakos to Bouhaddouz, to Kalla  and back to  Diamantakos who shoots but finds the outer net area. MSV looked unable to harm. Really looked like they had no bullets in their arsenal left. A really hopeless free kick on 22’, some attempts that got stopped really early from Sankt Pauli defensives can be a really thorough description of how they looked in the field. On 35’ Wiegel passes to Schnellhardt . The second attempts a 16 meter shot but sends it very far from our post. All seemed boringly safe and it seemed that this 0-0 would be the score for half time. No sir. What do we do all year when a team cannot score against us? WE HELP. Last moment in this first half. Extra time and it is MSV on the corner. The clock shows 45’+1 and all we wait is the final whistle. Corner kick and the ball is in our box. Tashchy  battle with Park only to send the ball deeper into our box. Stoppelkamp takes the opportunity and with a header he opens the score for MSV.

Bajic clearly brings Neudecker down in MSV box. (image source: http://www.fcstpauli.com)

Second half underway and early on 46’ is our big chance. Kalla sends the ball to MSV box where there’s confusion and after a shot the ball somehow trips to Bouhaddouz almost entering the nets. Fröde is there and sends the ball away just before it crossed the line. Rebound shot from Neudecker goes away. The game proceeds and everything is focused on us making the score even. Especially against a team whose ultras raise banners and choreos with the words “Zebras gegen antifascism”. The biggest middle finger up their asses! No they shouldn’t leave with a winning smile from this last game. On 60’ a big moment for MSV as everyone salutes Bajic who had this game as his last in his career. Substituted by Nauber and everyone wishes the man a good life after that. Back to the game and on 70’ with a really nasty shot from Duisburg on our top left corner. Himmelmann though flies and saves the day. On 72’ Park passes to Möller Daehli . Möller Daehli breaks through most of the MSV defense and tries to make a dangerous through ball to their box but Davari  blocks. MSV answers on 79’ where they unfold a really nice offense leaving Stoppelkamp. He shoots but a little away from our right post. Clock shows 83’ and Möller Daehli with the ball passing it to  Allagui. He shoots but Davari is there sending the ball to a corner. The goal we should have scored wasn’t there and it all looked like the game would end this way. Extra time again and our time to shine once again. 90’+5 Duisburg sends the ball back in from the left. All our players seemed to have quit the game cos no one payed attention to MSV players. First Souza shoots and Himmelmann repels the shot. The ball is led to Gartner  who is left ENTIRELY alone with it and the nets and doubles the score. As simple as that.

source: http://www.rtl.de

Ok…So, another season sees its end. This season should leave a big question mark to the ones responsible for the team’s welfare. Our goal when we started this season was to play the best football in the league and ended in “Let’s do anything to avoid Relegation”. This alone tells a lot. If you combine it with the fact that the amount of goals we suffered was just too big (almost 50 goals in 34 games!!!!!!), the problem suddenly finds its way. This year we had probably the worst defense or one of the worst defenses ever. Good starting point for the coach to work on. The team needs players. Players with quality. Not just some random guys that know how to throw in a couple of passes. We need players that will have passion for the game. Players that will seek victory in every game and of course that would take defeat personally. This is what we lacked of the entire year. Passion. Win or loose, was day in day out for most of the players and this is not acceptable.  But we’ll just have to wait and see.

Our Beloved Sankt Pauli might have just avoided relegation and it is like a wounded beast that needs to heal. Our fans though proved again for another season that they are lions ready to devour anyone opposing to our standards. Our voices were louder than everyone in and out of Millerntor. Alles auf Sankt Pauli. Raising my glass of beer to these guys and damn it I feel so proud to be just a tiny piece of this. FORZA SANKT PAULI.

Line Up:

Himmelmann

   Koglin   Sobiech  Avevor   Dudziak (Buballa 46′)

Kalla (Sobota 57′)  Neudecker (Allagui 78′)   Park   Möller Daehli

Diamantakos   Bouhaddouz   

Match goals:

1:0 Stoppelkamp (45’+2, Header)

2:0 Gartner (90’+5, Right Foot Shot, Oliveira Souza)

Spectators: 25324

Sankt Pauli cards: Diamantakos(3), Neudecker(3)

Match highlights

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6jimoy

 

Further reading:

• Kicker (German)
• Official website
• Der Übersteiger (German)
• Magischer FC (German)
• USP Photo Gallery
• Kleiner Tod (German)