Bundesliga
St. Pauli claimed what could be an invaluable three points against fellow survival-hopefuls Heidenheim 2-1 at the Millerntor Stadium thanks to a stunning brace from Martijn Kaars. Despite playing the entire second half with 10 men following Eric Smith's first-half dismissal, the Kiezkicker produced a superb defensive display to preserve their lead to the end.
St. Pauli 2-1 Heidenheim
Goals:1-0 Kaars 35‘ (assist: Fujita), 2-0 Kaars 53’ (assist: Fujita), 2-1 Pieringer 64’ (assist: Schimmer)
Red card: Smith 45’
The pressure was mounting at the Millerntor as Pauli entered this crucial relegation battle against Heidenheim winless in their previous 10 Bundesliga matches.
After ending their historic nine-match losing streak with a late equaliser at Cologne last time out, Alexander Blessin's side were desperate to secure their first victory since Matchday 3.
The visitors, meanwhile, arrived in Hamburg having scored stoppage-time winners in their last two matches, with six of their 12 goals this season coming from substitutes.
Stefan Schimmer had been particularly potent off the bench, scoring all four of his season's goals as a substitute. Both sides were aware of the significance of this bottom-of-the-table clash, with Heidenheim sitting in the relegation play-off position, three points ahead of today's hosts.
Pauli started the match with purpose, pressing high and pinning Heidenheim back in their own half. The hosts created the first significant opportunity in the 19th minute when Jackson Irvine threaded a delightful pass to Mathias Pereira Lage, who rounded goalkeeper Diant Ramaj but was denied by a brilliant goal-line clearance from Tim Siersleben.
The home side continued to threaten, with Joel Chima Fujita pulling the strings in midfield. Their persistence paid off in the 35th minute when Fujita spun his marker on the edge of the box before slipping a perfectly weighted pass to Kaars.
From a tight angle on the right side of the penalty area, Kaars unleashed an unstoppable strike that flew into the roof of the net past Ramaj, giving Pauli a deserved lead with his first Bundesliga goal for the club.
Just as the hosts appeared to be cruising towards half-time, disaster struck in the 45th minute. Smith carelessly lost possession to Marvin Pieringer before bringing down the Heidenheim striker as the last defender. The referee showed no hesitation in showing Smith a straight red card, dramatically altering the complexion of the match.
Changes were made at half-time by both sides, but it was Stefan Schimmer who nearly made an instant impact, as he found himself one-on-one with Nikola Vasilj in the 47th minute, but was denied by the Pauli goalkeeper, who made a crucial save with his foot.
Despite being a man down, Pauli remarkably doubled their lead in the 53rd minute through a devastating counter-attack. Dźwigała won the ball deep in his own half before finding Fujita, who delivered a superb through ball for Kaars. The Dutch forward raced clear from the halfway line and finished clinically into the bottom corner for his second goal of the match.
Heidenheim responded by increasing the pressure, with Arijon Ibrahimović forcing a fine save from Vasilj. The visitors finally broke through in the 64th minute when Marnon Busch's cross found Schimmer, who helped it on for Pieringer to tap it in from close range.
With the numerical advantage and momentum now firmly on their side, Heidenheim laid siege to the St. Pauli goal. The visitors dominated possession and created numerous opportunities, with Schimmer, Patrick Mainka, and Omar Haktab Traoré all going close.
Vasilj was in inspired form, making several crucial saves including a fine stop to deny Honsak in the 89th minute. The most dramatic moment came in the 90+2nd minute when Pieringer headed the ball down for Schimmer in the six-yard box, but Hauke Wahl made a heroic last-ditch block to preserve St. Pauli's lead.
Despite wave after wave of Heidenheim attacks, the 10 men of St. Pauli showed remarkable resilience to secure victory.
Due to technical issues, the Man of the Match vote could not be carried out as usual. The editorial choice was Kaars, whose two goals proved decisive.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: St. Pauli 1.07 - Heidenheim 2.72
Fastest player: Ricky-Jade Jones (St. Pauli), 34.99 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Martijn Kaars (St. Pauli), 10.64 per cent
Most pressed player: Joel Chima Fujita (St. Pauli), 18 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Karol Mets (St. Pauli), 2.18
Fantasy Heroes: Martijn Kaars (St. Pauli, 346 Points), Joel Chima Fujita (St. Pauli, 249 Points), Nikola Vasilj (St. Pauli, 241 Points)