FC St. Pauli

Head coach Timo Schultz made five changes to the side that lost 2-1 at Greuther Fürth on Sunday. Philipp Ziereis slotted into central defence in place of Adam Dźwigała, while Rico Benatelli and Finn Ole Becker replaced Rodrigo Zalazar and Lukas Daschner in midfield. Daniel-Kofi Kyereh began on the right flank instead of Kevin Lankford, and Igor Matanovic got the nod in attack ahead of Simon Makienok. The team named by Kickers coach Bernhard Trares featured four adjustments from the 4-2 home defeat against Karlsruhe, including two of the club’s four new signings in Rolf Feltscher and Marvin Pieringer.

Unusually sporting their DFB Cup shirts, Timo Schultz’s side suffered an early setback when referee Michael Bacher awarded Würzburg a penalty after Marvin Knoll had brought down Marvin Pieringer in the box. Pieringer dusted himself down and converted into the bottom-left corner, with Svend Brodersen going the other way. The Boys in Brown were quickly back in their stride, however, and soon fashioned a great chance to equalise. Sebastian Ohlsson threaded a clever ball through to Daniel-Kofi Kyereh in the area and he wrongfooted Ewerton before firing a shot that took a deflection off Kickers keeper Hendrik Bonmann on its way to striking the near post.

Six minutes later the visitors were left breathing a sigh of relief when Rolf Feltscher picked out the unmarked Daniel Hägele with a cross from the right, but he failed to make a proper connection and the chance was gone. At the other end, Finn Ole Becker tried his luck with an angled drive from outside the box, only to see the ball fizz past the far post. It was a closer affair 60 seconds later when Ohlsson found Igor Matanovic with a cross and his powerful header was brilliantly tipped onto the crossbar by Bonmann. Leart Paqarada then aimed a free-kick too high from nigh on 25 metres out.

The intensity subsided a touch until the referee gave Knoll his marching orders for a foul on Dominic Baumann near the halfway line three minutes before the break. Timo Schultz responded immediately with the introduction of centre-back Adam Dźwigała for wide man Maximilian Dittgen. There were no further incidents of note and the Boys in Brown went in a goal down at half-time.

Marvin Knoll received a second yellow card just before half-time, the first sending-off of his professional career.

Both teams re-emerged unchanged for the second period. Undaunted by the numerical disadvantage, the Boys in Brown set about their task of taking at least a point back to Hamburg. Ohlsson delivered a ball into the box from the right, but the header from Kyereh flew past the far post. Back at the other end, the Swedish defender had to be alert to prevent Pieringer from getting on the end of a Feltscher cross.

Equally alert three minutes later was Rico Benatelli! Following an attack down the left, Becker pulled the trigger from the edge of the box and the ball took two deflections before falling at the feet of Benatelli, who was level with Feltscher when Becker unleashed his shot, and the former Würzburg man finished into the bottom corner to level the scores. The equaliser was deserved, as the Boys in Brown were the busier team despite being down to ten and could even have taken the lead, not least when Paqarada hammered a left-wing free-kick to the unmarked Kyereh at the near post. The midfielder got underneath it, however, and the header looped over.

The challenges became more agricultural as the half wore on, prompting Bacher to produce a series of yellow cards. With 20 minutes left, Schultz made a double substitution, withdrawing Kyereh and Becker, who was on a booking, and throwing on Rodrigo Zalazar and new acquisition Omar Marmoush. Zalazar had only been on the pitch three minutes when he tried his luck with a long-range free-kick that flew wide of the goal.

Another double switch followed, Simon Makienok and Leon Flach coming on for Igor Matanovic and Afeez Aremu, but it was the home side who created the next chance when Pieringer sent an acrobatic overhead kick over the crossbar from Feltscher’s cross. Würzburg increased the pressure in the closing stages, without creating any meaningful chances against a St. Pauli rearguard who defended with passion to register a well-earned point.

Würzburger Kickers

Bonmann - Feltscher, Hägele, Ewerton, Feick - Toko (Maierhofer 75’), Hansen, Kopacz (David 82’), Sontheimer (Hasek 70’) - Baumann (Munsy 82’), Pieringer

Head coach: Bernhard Trares

FC St. Pauli

Brodersen - Ohlsson, Ziereis, Knoll, Paqarada - Becker (Zalazar 70’), Aremu (Flach 79’) - Kyereh (Kyereh 70’), Benatelli, Dittgen (Dźwigała 43’) - Matanovic (Makienok 79’)

Head coach: Timo Schultz

Goals: 1-0 Pieringer (pen. 9’), 1-1 Benatelli (57’)

Yellow cards: Baumann, Ewerton – Aremu, Knoll, Becker, Benatelli, Ohlsson, Hürzeler (assistant coach)

Red card (second yellow): Knoll (persistent foul play 42’)

Referee: Michael Bacher (Amerang)

Photos: Witters