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A lot of fight and cramp in the duel between the bottom of the table and the top of the table
Photo: David Inderlied / dpa
FC St. Pauli has suffered a small setback in the promotion race of the 2nd Bundesliga. The league leaders could not get beyond a disappointing 1-1 (1-0) draw at the bottom of the table VfL Osnabrück on Saturday evening. Although Hamburg remained unbeaten, they were unable to take full advantage of the defeat of city rivals Hamburger SV against SC Paderborn.
In front of 15,741 spectators in the sold-out stadium at Bremer Brücke, Jackson Irvine gave St. Pauli the lead in the 6th minute. Substitute Haralambos Makridis rewarded a courageous Osnabrück performance after the break with a deserved equaliser (82'). Osnabrück's Niklas Wiemann was shown a yellow card in injury time. For the purple and whites, it was the first point under new coach Uwe Koschinat. A week ago, there was an embarrassing 04-0 defeat at FC Schalke 4.
St. Pauli had the game clearly under control in the first 45 minutes. The visitors took the lead with the first chance. After a corner, Irvine was on the spot with a header. After that, coach Fabian Hürzeler's team controlled the game at will. However, the visitors failed to extend the lead and ensure clear conditions early on.
St. Pauli came under pressure again in the second half. The Osnabrück team now discovered their fighter's heart and delivered a thrilling fight to the big favorite. First, Michael Cuisance missed a great chance to equalise twelve minutes before the end, but then Makridis was on the spot.
aha/dpa