St. Pauli suffers a setback in their bid to return to the Bundesliga.
The return to the Bundesliga for 1. FC St. Pauli didn't go as planned. Instead of securing a victory as the first promoted team in seven years on the opening matchday, they suffered a home defeat against 1. FC Heidenheim. The smarter team emerged victorious.
- FC Heidenheim spoiled St. Pauli's Bundesliga comeback after a 13-year absence. The underdog team from the previous season in the top tier pulled off a surprising 2-0 (0-0) win at the Hamburger Millerntor in the last game of the 1st matchday. Despite being the superior team for a significant portion of the game, St. Pauli failed to convert their numerous chances.
Paul Wanner (66.) turned the tide in favor of the guests with his goal. In the late stages, Jan Schöppner (82.) sealed the victory with a header from a corner.
The 29,157 spectators were treated to an intense game from the start, despite the initial scarcity of goal-scoring opportunities. Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt made eight changes to the team that played the European Conference League playoff first leg against BK Häcken in Sweden (2-1).
Alexander Blessin made only one change to the starting lineup in his Bundesliga debut as the head coach, bringing in Lars Ritzka in place of Fin Stevens. Stevens had started in the previous week's thrilling DFB-Pokal victory against regional league side Hallescher FC.
St. Pauli lacks accuracy
St. Pauli had more possession initially but failed to make much of it. Their defense was solid, but there wasn't much sign of their fast counter-attacking game that Blessin had aimed for. Metcalfe missed a target from 18 meters after 20 minutes, their first chance.
St. Pauli then took control, improving their counter-attacking game. Ten minutes after his first chance, Metcalfe had another promising opportunity. Freestanding in front of Heidenheim goalkeeper Kevin Müller, the Australian failed to hit the ball properly. Up until the break, St. Pauli remained in control, with little coming from Heidenheim.
The home team continued to pressure in the second half, sometimes playing attractively forward. However, they often lacked precision in the final pass to create clear scoring chances. Moreover, Heidenheim's defense was usually solid.
Only one noticeable action came from St. Pauli in the second half: a header from new signing Morgan Guilavogui (48') from Eric Smith's free kick. It wasn't until the 63rd minute that it became challenging in front of the guests' goal again: After a powerful solo run by Jackson Irvine, Guilavogui narrowly missed taking the lead.
But then came the surprise for the Hamburg fans: Bayern loanee Wanner finished off a counter-attack perfectly for Heidenheim. St. Pauli had to regroup. They tried to create chances but couldn't manage many clear-cut opportunities. Heidenheim played more cleverly and put all doubts about their victory to rest with Schöppner's goal.
Despite St. Pauli's initial possession and aim for their fast counter-attacking game, they struggled to capitalize on their chances against 1. FC Heidenheim. This continued throughout the match, with St. Pauli failing to secure a win, even against the promoted team. Contrarily, FC St. Pauli's Bundesliga comeback was spoiled by 1. FC Heidenheim, with the former 2. Bundesliga champions falling to a 2-0 defeat at home.
