FC St. Pauli

Head coach Jos Luhukay rang the changes for the penultimate home game of the season. The pre-match team sheet pointed to a back three with Marvin Knoll in the centre, though the former Regensburg man interpreted the role flexibly and did a lot of his work in front of the defensive line. Luhukay set his team up to press the opposition much sooner than in previous games, and with the visitors known for having a similar philosophy, the fans witnessed an all-action, tough-tackling game with frequent changes of possession early on.

As a result, much of the play unfolded between the two penalty boxes in the opening stages. The first sniff of goal came in the seventh minute when Sargis Adamyan brushed the side netting with an effort from 20 metres. At the other end, Jeremy Dudziak lacked precision with a couple of attempts from distance before Regensburg troubled the scorers for the first time on 27. Marco Grüttner shielded an Adamyan pass on the edge of the goal area before squaring for Hamadi Al Ghaddioui to slide home from three metres. Ryo Miyaichi almost hit back immediately, but his effort from the edge of the box flew straight to Jahn goalkeeper André Weis.

That chance may have gone begging, but Dimitrios Diamantakos struck in clinical fashion seven minutes later. The striker, in for Alex Meier, received the ball from Buchtmann and wasted no time in smashing an unstoppable low drive into the bottom-right corner from just outside the area. Chances were aplenty now, and Diamantakos popped up in front of Weis again two minutes later, but this time the Regensburg custodian was equal to the Greece striker's lob. Five minutes later, however, the visitors restored their lead when Adamyan cut in along the byeline and chipped the ball into the middle, where Al Ghaddioui was perfectly placed again to score with the help of his chest.

Neither side gave an inch in a high-octane first half.

Jos Luhukay elected to make a change at half-time, and the Boys in Brown reverted to an unambiguous back four, Yiyoung Park making way for Daniel Buballa. The determination with which they started the second half was there for all to see. Seven minutes in, Weis pushed a Knoll free-kick to the side, only for Florian Carstens to put the ball back into the danger area, where captain Johannes Flum headed home from close range to level the scores. An open-free-flowing game resulted in which Jos Luhukay's side gradually gained the upper hand. Another Knoll free-kick twanged off the post, and only a last-ditch lunge from Marcel Correia prevented Flum from giving his side the lead on the rebound.

The story of the second half continued to be told by the hugely menacing free-kicks of the St. Pauli No5 against his former team. With just under 20 minutes left, Mats Møller Dæhli was fouled on the left-hand edge of the box. Knoll grabbed the ball and, with everyone expecting the cross, whacked it past the wall and into the net to make it 3-2.

Jos Luhukay's charges had the game under control now and were closer to a fourth goal than the visitors were to an equaliser. Miyaichi squandered a golden opportunity to settle it with seven minutes left, steering a whipped-in Buchtmann cross wide of the half-open goal from close range. But the fleet-footed winger made no mistake three minutes later, latching onto another ball from Buchtmann, taking it round Weis and calmly slotting home. The first win after six straight games without one – and the first for new coach Luhukay – was signed and sealed. And there was nothing a late consolation goal from Adamyan in the fifth minute of time added on could do to change that. 

FC St. Pauli

Himmelmann – Carstens, Knoll, Hoogma – Park (Dudziak 46'), Flum (Zehir 66'), Dudziak - Møller Dæhli, Buchtmann, Miyaichi – Diamantakos (Alex Meier 76')

Head coach: Jos Luhukay

SSV Jahn Regensburg

Weis – Saller (Nietfeld 77'), Nachreiner, Correia, Föhrenbach – George, Geipl (Stolze 77'), Thalhammer (Fein 65'), Adamyan – Grüttner, Al Ghaddioui

Head coach: Achim Beierlorzer

Goals: 0-1 Al Ghaddioui (27'), 1-1 Diamantakos (35'), 1-2 Al Ghaddioui (40'), 2-2 Flum (52'), 3-2 Knoll (72'), 4-2 Miyaichi (86'), 4-3 Adamyan (90'+5)

Yellow cards: Flum, Miyaichi – Saller, Nachreiner, George

Referee: Patrick Alt

Attendance: 29,546 (sold out)

Photos: Witters