FC St. Pauli

After an absence of 13 years, Bayern Munich were the visitors once again at the Millerntor and it was naturally a sell-out. Against the league leaders, the only top-flight club yet to lose a game, our team faced an extremely tough task. Head coach Alexander Blessin was forced to make one change from the side that won 2-0 away at Hoffenheim: Lars Ritzka replaced the injured Philipp Treu. For Bayern, whose last league game was a 3-0 home win over Union Berlin, coach Vincent Company made four changes from the side that won 1-0 against Benfica in the Champions League in Munich in mid-week. The start of the game was heralded by a joint choreo from the FCSP fans in the South Stand and the Bayern fans in the North Stand.

The visitors soon took control of the game, but in the early exchanges repeatedly searched in vain for gaps in the brown-and-white defensive line. Then, after 7 minutes, Oladapo Afolayan did excellently to beat Dayot Upamecano down the left and whipped in a sharp cross. The sound of expectation went around the Millerntor. But Manuel Neuer was wide awake and got to the ball ahead of Morgan Guilavogui. Won tackles and good moves repeatedly saw our boys cheered on from the stands. Then for the first time came the record title-winners: after 14 minutes, following a free-kick, Jamal Musiala was able to get away a shot from 17 metres out, but Nikola Vasilj safely claimed it. Two minutes later, the visitors created further danger in front of goal. But following a through ball to Leroy Sané, which he then squared, our lads were able to collectively clear the situation.

Our players were in no way hiding away, and at times were even camped out in the Bayern half. In fact, following a 20th-minute corner, several of our Boys in Brown were just a toe’s length away from the ball. Then, as if out nothing, came the lead for FCB: Musiala won the ball nearly 30 metres away from the FCSP net, knocked it forward and shot from 25 metres. Vasilj stretched in vain, as the ball glanced the underside of the bar and nestled in the net – 0-1 (22). Two minutes later, Musiala laid the ball back to Harry Kane, whose curling 18-metre shot went just over.

Going behind had briefly had had an impact. But following a corner in the 29th minute, Karol Mets then got off a shot in the Bayern box, but from 10 metres out unfortunately fired wide. In the first half, the visitors had nearly 70 percent possession, but made very little of it. Our team held firm and also occasionally probed forward too. Four minutes before the break, a quick Bayern move gave Sané the chance to make it 2-0 from 8 metres out, but Mets was able to get in a block just in time. Shortly after that, the whistle went for half-time.

Hauke Wahl in a duel with Jamal Musiala.

During half-time, FCSP fans did a choreo (‘No forgiving, no forgetting’) in memory of the victims of Kristallnacht on the 9th/10th of November 1938, remembering among others the former St. Pauli player Selig Cahn, who was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942.

On the pitch, the game resumed after the switch of ends without any changes. While the record title-winners were clearly looking the superior team after the break, what is by far the league’s best attack was unable to find the right means to unlock the compact FCSP defence. On 52 minutes, from a cross by Upamecano, Kane headed wide of the right-hand post from eight metres. Our team were able to successfully keep Bayern away from our own goal, but our lads’ own offensive efforts often ended no further forward than the halfway line, as the visitors were also defending well.

Then, in the 64th minute, our boys won themselves a corner, and things could have got dangerous for Bayern. The ball was initially fended away, but it fell to Guilavogui who found Johanes Eggestein completely unmarked. Sadly, he couldn’t properly control it. With just over 15 minutes to go, Blessin made his first change: Robert Wagner replaced Oladapo Afolayan. Shortly after that change, on 75 minutes, Sané broke through on the right, but was initially stopped by Mets and Wahl. However, Sané was able to lay the ball back to Goretzka, whose shot Vasilj held at the second attempt. Three minutes later, Vasilj then defused a shot from Sané that had bounced treacherously in front of him.

Then, on 80 minutes, came our second change: Andreas Albers came on in place of Johannes Eggestein. Would our Boys in Brown yet be able to get a goal in the dying minutes and be rewarded after all for their fine performance against the odds-on favourites? Sadly not. Bayern, who twice had the chance through Musiala and Kane to seal things in the final minutes, defended their lead and ultimately ran out narrow winners. Even though our players had to leave the field as losers, they received lots of applause from their fans for a strong performance.

FC St. Pauli

Vasilj - Wahl, Smith (Dźwigała 88'), Mets - Saliakas, Irvine, Boukhalfa (Sinani 88'), Ritzka - Afolayan (Wagner 74'), Eggestein (Albers 80'), Guilavogui

Head coach: Alexander Blessin

Bayern Munich

Neuer - Guerreiro (Laimer 69'), Upamecano, Kim, Davies - Kimmich, Goretzka (João Palhinha 82') - Sané (Olise 82'), Musiala (Müller 90'), Coman (Gnabry 69') - Kane

Head coach: Vincent Kompany

Goal: 0-1 Musiala (22')

Yellow cards: Guilavogui, Saliakas, Co-Trainer Németh / Kim, Laimer

Referee: Timo Gerach (Landau)

Attendance: 29.546

Photos: FC St. Pauli / Witters