St. Pauli draws with Frankfurt in the Bundesliga and is increasingly further away from relegation
After a wild opening phase between Frankfurt and St. Pauli, a disjointed game developed, with the rather unimaginative Frankfurt team ultimately managing a 2-2 draw against a defensively strong Hamburg side. This virtually secures St. Pauli’s relegation.
The situation before the match was simple: Frankfurt needed a win to secure Champions League qualification and third place. A draw would have been enough for St. Pauli to avoid relegation, as their goal difference was 13 goals better than Heidenheim.
Eintracht Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller saw no reason for any changes after the 1-1 draw against Mainz 05 and fielded the same starting eleven. At the other end, FCSP coach Alexander Blessin made three changes after the 0-1 loss against Stuttgart : Vasilj and Van der Heyden were both suspended due to second yellow cards. They were replaced by Voll (making his starting debut) in goal and Ritzka in the back three. Weißhaupt (on the bench) was replaced in attack by Afolayan.
Wild opening phase with goals on both sides
The match began wildly: Frankfurt took the lead in the first minute when Larsson dribbled into the center of the penalty area – St. Pauli were too passive in this situation – and then laid off for Kristensen, who converted from five meters. But SGE’s lead didn’t last long. Almost immediately, the visitors equalized: Guilavogui laid off from the right side of the penalty area for Saliakas, who beautifully chipped the ball into the left corner (4′). Trapp could only watch as the ball went in.
After the equalizer, Eintracht Frankfurt tried to put St. Pauli under pressure. However, they failed to create any real chances. Instead, Voll in the Hamburg goal had a brainwave: He quickly took a clearance, and the ball landed at the halfway line for Guilavogui, who let Larsson slip into the empty net and burst into the penalty area. Bahoya intervened, but he couldn’t save the situation. Guilavogui went past Trapp and slotted the ball into the empty net (16′).
Lots of SGE possession, but few chances
The game subsequently developed into a match in which Frankfurt had almost 70 percent possession, but also hardly any serious shots. The most dangerous shot came from Ekitiké in the 22nd minute, which fired just over the right corner. Otherwise, St. Pauli defended as confidently as usual, conceding almost nothing. Frankfurt struggled and had no reason to complain about the halftime deficit.
At halftime, Toppmöller brought on Batshuayi for Bahoya for Frankfurt, but the first attacking move of the second half belonged to the visitors: After Theate lost the ball, Guilavogui would have been free to go through, but Trapp was alert and cleared the ball from the striker (50′). After that, St. Pauli did a great job of keeping the game under control. Frankfurt continued to struggle. The home side’s first good opportunity of the second half didn’t come until the 66th minute: Uzun’s header was off target, but he missed the target.
Once St. Pauli is unsorted
Five minutes later, Eintracht Frankfurt equalized. St. Pauli were disorganized for a moment, and SGE took full advantage. Chaibi cut the ball into the penalty area to Batshuayi, who neatly finished with a low shot (71′). But even after the score was 2-2, the home team was unable to gain momentum. Instead, the game remained disjointed and constantly interrupted, which played into Hamburg’s hands. It wasn’t until the closing stages that Frankfurt had two good chances: first, Kristensen shot just wide after a long ball (85′), then Batshuayi fired the ball into the net from close range, but the goal was disallowed due to a handball by the Belgian (88′).
Frankfurt threw everything forward again, and the visitors capitalized on this with a counterattack, with Weißhaupt having the chance to score the winner, but his shot narrowly wide (90th+1). In the final minutes of the game, the Kiezkickers were once again shaky, but apart from a volley from Batshuayi that went well over (90th+5), SGE failed to create any further chances. Thus, Hamburg ultimately celebrated staying in the league, which, while not theoretically certain, is nevertheless very likely. Frankfurt missed the chance to secure the Champions League and third place on the penultimate matchday.
