FC St. Pauli

Head coach Alexander Blessin had said there would be changes after the 1-0 defeat at Bochum and he was true to his word. Winter signings James Sands and Noah Weißhaupt came into the starting lineup along with fit-again Johannes Eggestein, with Carlo Boukhalfa, Oladapo Afolayan and Danel Sinani dropping to the bench. Heidenheim supremo Frank Schmidt also made three adjustments to the side that secured a late point in a 3-3 draw at Bremen in the week, Luca Kerber, Leonardo Scienza and Sirlord Conteh coming in for Omar Traoré (ill), Niklas Dorsch (injured) and Paul Wanner (bench).

The Boys in Brown ran out in front of a sell-out crowd at the Voith-Arena determined to get a result and end the week on a positive note. And though they edged the possession early on, it was the home side who created the first opportunity, Marvin Pieringer heading well over from a Scienza free-kick in the sixth minute. The response from was not long in coming: a Weißhaupt cross found the advancing Manolis Saliakas at the back post, but Patrick Mainka jumping up in front of him was enough to put him off and he failed to make a proper connection. Eggestein then managed a much cleaner hit from 25 metres, but FCH keeper Kevin Müller was down quickly to gather.

The opening exchanges showed little in terms of quality, all the indications being that the game would be a combative affair with plenty of tackles. After 21 minutes, Heidenheim fashioned another opportunity when the lively Scienza delivered a cross into the middle from the left and found Budu Zivzivadze. Leaning back, he headed well over. At the other end, Saliakas was brought down by Frans Krätzig in the box and referee Bastian Dankert pointed to the spot. Eggestein, who had missed a penalty at Stuttgart before Christmas, assumed the responsibility again and converted with aplomb, sending Müller the wrong way with a shot into the bottom left corner. On the back of two defeats against Frankfurt and Bochum, taking the lead had a positive effect, of course, and the Blessin XI took control of the proceedings, moving the ball around nicely on the whole and keeping things tight at the back. In the 33^rd minute it could have been two when Saliakas collected a throw-in on the right and dispatched a cross into the middle, where Philipp Treu was faster to the ball than Conteh, but Müller produced an excellent save. With little of note happening after that, the Boys in Brown went in a goal to the good at the break.

Fit-again Johannes Eggestein nets with aplomb from the spot.

Blessin fielded an unchanged side for the second half. In contrast, Adrian Beck and Paul Wanner replaced Leonardo Scienza and Sirlord Conteh for the home side, who increased their share of the possession slightly without being able to capitalise against a solid St. Pauli rearguard. The first chance fell to the Boys in Brown. Saliakas slipped the ball to Weißhaupt, whose shot was heading for the bottom-right corner until it hit Sands, who was standing right in front of Müller in an offside position and couldn't get out of the way. Heidenheim responded five minutes later, pinging the ball around quickly before Pieringer skied a shot over from 20 metres. Soon after, Nemeth made a last-ditch clearance to prevent Pieringer popping up unmarked in front of Vasilj.

The home side continued to push forward with no return whatsoever. The Blessin XI more than held their own, showing a marked improvement in the personal duels compared with Wednesday's game at Bochum. In attack they no longer posed much of a threat, however, prompting Blessin to make an initial substitution after a double switch by the hosts. Carlo Boukhalfa came on for the industrious Sands, who made a host of tackles and had covered more distance than any other player when he left the field in the 71^st minute.

Heidenheim stepped up the pressure. Soon after entering the fray, Norman Theuerkauf met a corner first time at the far post and smashed the ball into the stands. Vasilj was called into action for the first time soon after, safely gathering a shot from Krätzig. Then, after a long absence from the home penalty box, the Boys in Brown threatened again when the unmarked Eggestein unleashed a shot after collecting a pass from Guilavogui, but Mainka got a block at the last moment. Eggestein ended his shift soon after along with Weißhaupt. They were replaced by Oladapo Afolayan and Abdoulie Ceesay.

In the closing stages the Boys in Brown put in a monumental effort to protect their lead, only for Heidenheim to grab an equaliser just before the end when Beck whipped a cross in from the right and Breunig bundled the ball over the line from close range. It went to a VAR and the review took a while to reach a conclusion. Did the ball touch Breunig's arm and was Krätzig offside in the run-up? After a long delay, Krätzig was adjudged to have been offside and thus it remained 1-0. But not for long, as the Blessin XI went back up the other end and settled it. Afolayan bludgeoned his way down the left and delivered a low ball into the middle, where Guilavogui was perfectly placed to score and seal three crucial points in the relegation battle.

1. FC Heidenheim

Müller - Busch, Mainka, Gimber, Krätzig - Conteh (Wanner 46'), Schöppner (Theuerkauf 68'), Kerber, Scienza (Beck 46') - Pieringer (Breunig 68'), Zivzivadze (Schimmer 77')

Head coach: Frank Schmidt

FC St. Pauli

Vasilj - Wahl, Smith, Nemeth - Saliakas, Irvine, Sands (Boukhalfa 71'), Treu - Weißhaupt (Afolayan 79'), Eggestein (Ceesay 79'), Guilavogui (90'+6)

Head coach: Alexander Blessin

Goals: 0-1 Eggestein (pen. 25'), 0-2 Guilavogui (90'+2)

Yellow cards: Kerber – Sands, Smith

Referee: Bastian Dankert (Rostock)

Attendance: 15,000 (sold out)

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters