FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler made three changes to the team that won 2-0 at FC Nürnberg last time out. Fit-again Eric Smith began in place of Adam Dźwigała, while Manolis Saliakas returned from suspension. With Philipp Treu ruled out by a muscle problem and Elias Saad serving a one-match ban, Marcel Hartel switched to the left flank and Aljoscha Kemlein slotted in alongside Jackson Irvine in holding midfield. Paderborn boss Lukas Kwasniok also made three adjustments following the 2-1 home defeat against Eintracht Braunschweig, Mattes Hansen, former St. Pauli man Sirlord Conteh and Adriano Grimaldi coming in for Koen Kostons and Calvin Brackelmann, who dropped to the bench, and the suspended Kai Klefisch.

With Holstein Kiel beating Hansa Rostock 2-0 and Fortuna Düsseldorf winning 3-1 at Kaiserslautern, the Boys in Brown went into the game targeting another three points to restore the gap to the chasing pack. Paderborn, in turn, needed the points to remain in the promotion race. In fantastic conditions for football and another cracking atmosphere, Hürzeler's charges hit the ground running and fashioned the opening chance with just 38 seconds on the clock. An exquisite through ball from Lars Ritzka put Connor Metcalfe clean through on goal, but his angled drive from the corner of the box was no problem for Pelle Boevink in the Paderborn goal.

The visitors were presented with their first opportunity on six minutes when the Boys in Brown gave the ball away in their own area, but Adriano Grimaldi's effort flew well off target. Back at the other end, Ritzka had a shot blocked following a ball in from Saliakas, and when the ball came back in Aljoscha Kemlein collected a pass from Hartel and found the bottom-left corner from nine metres. The offside flag went up, however, and the question was whether Hartel was level or not. It was tight, but after a lengthy VAR check, referee Benjamin Brand confirmed the decision and it remained scoreless.

St. Pauli continued to dictate the proceedings and repeatedly pushed forward, but the next chance failed to materialise. The fleet-footed Conteh had an opportunity at the other end following a long ball forward, though his shot fizzed well wide of the far post. And with 32 minutes gone, the Hürzeler XI finally took a deserved lead when Saliakas knocked the ball to Johannes Eggestein on the halfway line and the striker sent Jackson Irvine in his way with a backheel. The Australian showed good vision to pick out the advancing Hartel and he cheekily dinked the ball over Boevink to open the scoring.

The visitors carved out their best chance to that point four minutes later. Filip Bilbija was allowed space to unleash a shot from a narrow angle, but the largely unemployed Nikola Vasilj was on hand to make the save. Almost immediately, Kemlein hammered a shot just wide of the right-hand post following a low ball in from Ritzka. Irvine then won possession in the Paderborn half and drove forward before pulling the trigger from just outside the box, but Boevink got down to his right to make the save.

Marcel Hartel lofts the ball over Pelle Boevink in the 32nd minute to give his team a deserved lead.

There were no adjustments to the personnel on the resumption, but the scoreline changed 66 seconds in. Saliakas angled a ball into Ritzka a couple of metres outside the box, and he drilled the ball past Boevink's despairing dive inside the left-hand upright to double the advantage. The Hürzeler XI continued to dominate the second period but conceded out of the blue ten minutes later when Smith lost possession just outside his own area. Conteh squared it to Grimaldi, and he left Vasilj no chance from seven metres.

The goal appeared to knock Boys in Brown out of their stride and they struggled to get going again, partly because Paderborn stepped up their game both on and off the ball. And with 65 minutes played, they almost fashioned an equaliser when David Kinsombi got forward to deliver a cross to the head of Grimaldi, but Vasilj threw up a hand to produce a fine save. Things began to get a little heated and seven minutes later goalscorer Grimaldi was shown a second yellow followed by a red for persistent foul play. Smith was also booked, as Metcalfe had been in the first half. That took both of them to five cautions for the season, which means they will be suspended for the trip to Karlsruhe.

Down to ten, the visitors shifted their high press back a bit, allowing the Boys in Brown to move the ball around much more and for longer. The closing stages brought a flurry of substitutions. Kwasniok made a quintuple change on 81 before Hürzeler introduced Etienne Amenyido and Andreas Albers for Lars Ritzka and Connor Metcalfe. The many changes had their effect, with the flow of the game disappearing almost entirely.

The visitors went all out in search of an equaliser in the last few minutes but there was no way through the compact FCSP rearguard, and it ended in a narrow, yet deserved 2-1 victory for the Boys in Brown. With HSV being held to a 1-1 draw at Greuther Fürth, the Hürzeler XI have widened the gap to the play-off place from ten to eleven points.

FC St. Pauli

Vasilj - Wahl, Smith, Mets - Saliakas, Irvine, Kemlein (Scheller 90'+3), Ritzka (Dźwigała 83') - Metcalfe (Amenyido 83'), Eggestein (Albers 87'), Hartel

Head coach: Fabian Hürzeler

SC Paderborn 07

Boevink - Hoffmeier, Kinsombi, Musliu, Zehnter (Heuer 81') - Obermair (Leipertz 81'), Hansen (Ansah 81'), Klaas (Brackelmann 81') - Bilbija, Grimaldi, Conteh (Kostons 81')

Head coach: Lukas Kwasniok

Goals: 1-0 Hartel (32'), 2-0 Ritzka (47'), 2-1 Grimaldi (56')

Yellow cards: Metcalfe (misses next game), Smith (misses next game), Hürzeler – Grimaldi

Red card (second yellow): Grimaldi (persistent foul play 72')

Referee: Benjamin Brand (Schwebheim)

Attendance: 29,391

Photos: FC St. Pauli