Matchday 20: H$V vs FC Sankt Pauli 2-1…

No, not this one…

source: http://www.fcstpauli.com, ©️Witters

Saying that this is frustrating is just a beautification of the grim weekend reality. If there’s one match that we never want to lose, under any circumstances, is this one and not only we lost it but we lost it big, not because of the score but because of the overall picture of the game. Aside the derby pain, with only 1pt in the opening 3 matchdays, this upcoming break seems more than welcome…

 

Not much time to get comfortable in our seats and get in character, H$V made obvious from the very beginning that this would be a difficult evening. 3′ in the game and the first exhalation of relief, with a shot by incoming and all alone Alidou from the penalty spot going well wide over Vasilj‘s crossbar. 6’ in the game, corner from the left for H$V, head volleyball in our box, first Jatta header at the first post, header for the finish by Heyer at the rear, fortunately Vasilj was there in the first place and Heyer‘s (difficult) rebound attempt was unlucky. Pressure kept going, 10’ in the game, a Muheim rocket outside the box, slightly to the right, ball deflected to Hartel and ended up JUUUUST over the crossbar, phew… The Boys in Brown managed to survive the opening bombardment and slowly started gaining a few meters on the pitch but it was still H$V, took at least 20′ for the game to become somehow balanced. We had our first presence in the H$V box on 16′, with a Burgstaller shot from the right of the box and some 45 degrees angle, which had very few chances from the beginning and ended up safely into the grasp of Heuer Fernandes but H$V responded with an extremely dangerous Jatta header, ball ended a few centimeters from the rear post, nobody could do anything in case of ball ending up into the net. Some 10′ of “peace of mind”, with FCSP actually becoming better as time passes, and then BAAAMMMMMMM on 30′! Smith long free kick from the right and this was our turn to play head volleyball inside H$V box, first header at the rear post by Amenyido to the other side where the Grand Executioner Guido Burgstaller was waiting for the decisive push! 1-0 for FCSP and some of us already started remembering 2011 😅 Key point for the game the 32′ penalty incident, with Ohlsson going down in H$V box after a duel with Alidou, being that, the 2nd goal would probably kill H$V but VAR review suggested not a penalty and maybe decision was right, this is football, play on. H$V struggled to get back on their feet for a few minutes and, by the time clock hit 40′, they managed to regain control of the game. Tremendous chance for H$V with a Vuskovic bouncing header, BRILLIANT save by Vasilj on 45′! Vasilj kept us standing on 45’+1 when he arrived to the ball before Jatta, to clear another threat and we went to the dressing rooms ahead on the score but after a first half that belonged almost entirely to the opponent.

HT H$V 0 – #FCSP 1, this is really nice but we're ahead only thanks to #Vasilj, #Burgstaller (animal) and our lucky star, result is a magic picture. Dino is dominating the game, we must become more aggressive and take control of this, otherwise it won't age well, CMON!!! 👊🏾🏴‍☠️

— ꜰᴄꜱᴘ 𝔖𝔬𝔲𝔱𝔥 𝔈𝔫𝔡 𝔖𝔠𝔲𝔪 ☠️ (@SPSouthEndScum) January 21, 2022

H$V entered the 2nd half in the exact same manner that they started and finished the 1st, a 25m+ Reis shot tested Vasilj‘s excellent reflexes on 48’. A good opportunity for Burgstaller on 52′, he reached the ball a little too late, following an excellent Hartel pass and, by the time he did it, he wasn’t facing the net anymore, nevertheless his attempt forced Heuer Fernandes to a save. 58′ in the game and the goal that H$V was searching, using every possible way, from the beginning of the game, eventually came and it was actually a really cheap one. Kittel corner from the left, Schonlau 1-1 with a header from 3m and our entire defense, including Vasilj, in a spectator role. Match in level terms with more than half an hour to go and our advantage having been eliminated – H$V tried to take advantage of the momentum with another chance on 59′, fast onslaught from the left, a Jatta cross to Alidou, something between a tackle and a shot from 12-13m by the latter (still quite successful) and another Vasilj block. We managed to overcome the pressure after the goal, we managed to take a breath and gain again some space but Doom came on 70′ in the form of Bakeri Jatta (he gets a few more mentions than the average H$V player, for reasons more or less known). Classy forward high pass from Kittel to Jatta, behind the back of Paqarada, Jatta reached the ball before his opponent and, before Paqarada does anything, he won Vasilj with a lovely volley from a quite acute angle, 2-1… We moved forward (we were allowed to, to a certain extent) and we actually had a couple of chances to get even. 81′ in the game, FCSP charging towards H$V box with Hartel, ball from Hartel to incoming Burgstaller to the left, Burgstaller moved into the box and tried the shot from the left but Heuer Fernandes was there and saved H$V from the equalizer. Remaining time was about us having the initiative but without any real payback…until 95′ and the Dittgen shot (under pressure) from around the penalty spot but Heuer Fernandes was again there. FT whistle under crazy celebrations from the approximately 2000 H$V fans, for winning us after almost 3 years…

Our biggest moment in the game, Burgstaller‘s goal on 30’ (source: http://www.fcstpauli.com, ©️Witters)

Of course it hurts and it hurts bad and of course it’s not about the points, it’s about the bloody derby… However, this is football, we don’t play alone, disgusting Dino has a very competitive squad and, aside the derby significance), this was a do-or-die thing for them (they have another one at Darmstadt right after the break). Still, imho, we made it easier for them. We have the quality to overplay these guys, we were more “conservative” than usual and we let them having the initiative in the 1st half. We were lucky enough to get away with it but it was a cheap mistake by our entire defense who paved the way back for them, when we eventually started to play as FCSP (even though they also gave us some space), things became different but it was a little too late… Whatever, I believe that the Millernton reports at the bottom will give you a better picture of the game, this is mostly fan frustration…

Alright, what’s done is done, would happen eventually at some point in time, after all no streak lasts forever. Hate to say this but this league break comes as a very welcome present at this point. Let’s regroup, throw away frustration and start working, after all we’re still in the Top-2 (we may even be still 1st if Darmstadt loses to Ingolstadt but this is quite unlikely 😄) and in the final 8 of the DFB Pokal, let’s get over this. No worries, we’ll find these bastards again on the DFB Pokal and strip them again of the City Boss Belt before they even have the chance to get used to it. In a couple of weeks, we’re back home vs Paderborn, capable of damage at any given point, let’s start from there 😎 FORZA SANKT PAULI!!!☠☠☠

Match data (people): https://www.kicker.de/hsv-gegen-st-pauli-2022-bundesliga-4721972/aufstellung

Match data (stats): https://www.kicker.de/hsv-gegen-st-pauli-2022-bundesliga-4721972/spieldaten

Highlights: https://ourmatch.me/21-01-2022-hamburger-sv-vs-st-pauli/

Further reading:

• Kicker (German)
• Official website
• Millernton (Report, German, translator)
• Millernton (Tactical Analysis, German, translator)
• Kleiner Tod (German)