Enlarge image
Elias Saad will be the man of the day against Fürth
Photo:
Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images
On the 20th matchday of the 2nd Bundesliga, FC St. Pauli extended its lead in the table. In the home game against Greuther Fürth they achieved a 3:2 (2:1) win. FC Schalke, threatened with relegation, was happy about a 1-0 (1-0) draw against Eintracht Braunschweig. There was no winner in the duel between 1. FC Nürnberg and VfL Osnabrück (2:2).
Second division leaders FC St. Pauli missed out on a spot in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup in a penalty shootout against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Tuesday. Coach Fabian Hürzeler then came under criticism because he had rotated in some positions. Unimpressed by this, the team started the top game against second-placed Greuther Fürth. Elias Saad (30th minute) and shortly afterwards Oladapo Afolayan (33rd) ensured a comfortable 2-0 lead. Saad was one of the regulars who initially sat on the bench in the cup game.
But that wasn't the score at halftime, as Armindo Sieb reduced the score to 1:2 shortly before halftime (44'). In the 59th minute, Simon Asta equalized in what had become a thrilling game. The game could have been a test of strength after Hamburg had to play for over 120 minutes against Düsseldorf, but St. Pauli didn't let up. With a powerful shot into the left corner, Saad put the home team back in the lead. It was the final score.
Thanks to the victory, St. Pauli now has 42 points and, at least temporarily, seven points ahead of the relegation place, which Fürth occupies. Hamburger SV could still overtake SpVgg in the away game against Hertha BSC this evening (8:30 p.m.).
Schalke 04 has made a breakthrough in the relegation battle. The struggling Royal Blues defeated Eintracht Braunschweig 1-0 (0-0) and distanced their direct rivals to three points. Kenan Karaman (61st) scored the winning goal and had the right answer to the 4-1 defeat in Kaiserslautern a week ago.
Schalke, who were lucky not to fall behind, especially in the early stages, temporarily moved up to 14th place thanks to their first success this year. Braunschweig missed its fifth win in a row in a low-level game and fell back to 17th place.
Bottom team VfL Osnabrück picked up a point in Nuremberg, but remained without a win for the 13th game in a row. At 1. FC Nürnberg, Lower Saxony scored 2:2 (1:1) in the final phase. The gap to the non-relegation places is still ten points.
Can Uzun scored for Nuremberg in the 17th and 51st minutes, but it wasn't enough for three points. The guests equalized twice, shortly before half-time Erik Engelhardt made it 1-1 (43'), and in added time Kwasi Okyere Wriedt (90+3) saved the 2-2 and the point. Nuremberg remains in the middle of the league and is ninth.
jan/sid