FC St. Pauli is getting closer and closer to the Bundesliga. The Hamburg second division team laboriously regained the lead in the table with a narrow 1-0 (0-0) win in the explosive northern duel against Hansa Rostock.
Before the rivals’ games, the Kiez club is currently eight points ahead of the promotion relegation place with three games remaining. Rostock suffered their third defeat in a row and could slip to second-to-last place on this match day.
After one of Hamburg’s weakest halves this season, Jackson Irvine scored the decisive goal (52nd minute). The explosive duel between the two rival fan camps remained without any violent incidents in the stands until the final whistle.
St. Pauli only gets stronger after the break
The Rostock team, who were brave in the first few minutes, started with six changes compared to the 2-0 defeat against Magdeburg. Coach Mersad Selimbegovic’s radical change initially worked. In the 19th minute, José Perea suddenly ran alone towards goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, who parried the shot. However, the attacker was offside. A little later, Perea missed the lead again (34th).
The Hamburg team only gained momentum in the second half. Captain Irvine redeemed the home fans with his header from a corner. But even after that, there were no clear chances to score for the Hanseatic League.
In the past there had been repeated riots in the stands. Last year, Rostock fans burned massive amounts of pyrotechnics, rioted in the sanitary facilities of the guest block and threw ceramic pieces at opposing spectators.
