FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler fielded a completely new team for the second warm-up match within a few hours and his team had the first decent chance four minutes in. Unfortunately, Johannes Eggestein aimed a little too high from eight metres following Etienne Amenyido’s cross. At the other end, Arminia were awarded a penalty after a foul by Sascha Burchert on Nicklas Shipnoski. The Bielefeld striker took the spot kick himself, but Burchert got down to his right quickly to make the save. In a high-intensity affair the Boys in Brown fashioned the next opportunity in the 17^th minute. Connor Metcalfe set his sights on the bottom-left corner from 18 metres, but Arminia keeper Jonas Kersken was down in time to gather.

After a short drinks break, the Hürzeler XI took the lead. Arminia took a huge risk in their own penalty area and Kersken kicked the ball straight to Eggestein. He wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like that and rifled a shot into the net from just inside the box. Carlo Boukhalfa could have added to the tally soon after, but was unable to get the better of Kersken from Metcalfe's pass. Then it was Bielefeld's turn again, Manuel Wintzheimer bending a 25-metre free-kick over the wall with lots of power, but Burchert was alert to the danger. Amenyido had another opportunity from the left corner of the penalty area following a pass from Lars Ritzka, but Kersken made a comfortable save and the half ended 1-0 to the Boys in Brown.

Johannes Eggestein capitalises on a Bielefeld mistake in the 25th minute to give his side the lead.

The same eleven players continued after the interval. Metcalfe had the first chance of the second half early on, but he was unable o beat Kersken from just outside the box. Shortly afterwards, Boukhalfa narrowly failed to get on the end of Metcalfe's whipped-in cross. The Boys in Brown continued to press and Eggestein broke down the left and knocked a low ball into the middle to Afeez Aremu, only for a Bielefeld player to get his head in the way of the midfielder’s powerful 15-metre drive. Five metres later, the scoreline finally reflected the brown-and-white superiority when Kersken could only parry a Boukhalfa free-kick. Adam Dźwigała was alert to the opportunity and slotted into the empty net from seven metres to make it 2-0. 

After a long absence in the St. Pauli box, Arminia threatened again in the 63rd minute when Louis Oppie narrowly missed the target from the left channel after collecting a pass from Kaito Mizuta. Hauke Wahl, David Nemeth and Amenyido then made way for David Otto, Bennet Winter and Max Marie. Moments later, Burchert frustrated Arminia with two excellent saves from Shipnoski and Oppie.

Winter then had an opportunity to extend the lead after another drinks break, but was denied by Kersken from a tight angle. Merville Biankadi came close to halving the deficit on 77 when his deflected effort hit the crossbar, and Christoph Lannert was the next to go close. His shot was defused by the combined efforts of several St. Pauli defenders. That was the last of the action, leaving the Boys in Brown to record their second friendly win soon after the 4-1 defeat of Sabah FC.

FC St. Pauli

Burchert - Nemeth (Otto 66’), Wahl (Marie 66’), Dźwigała - Günther, Boukhalfa, Aremu, Ritzka - Metcalfe, Eggestein, Amenyido (Winter 66’)

Head coach: Fabian Hürzeler

Arminia Bielefeld (starting XI)

Kersken - Özkan, Belkahia, Schneider, Lannert - Boujellab - Shipnoski, Biankadi, Schreck, Yildirim - Wintzheimer

Head coach: Michél Kniat

Goals: 1-0 Eggestein (25’), 2-0 Dźwigała (58’)

Attendance: approx. 1,000

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters