FC St. Pauli

FC ST. PAULI 0-2 FC ZURICH (HT 0-1)

The first chance of the game fell to Kyoungrok Choi in the fifth minute following a Ryo Miyaichi cross, his shot fizzing inches past the post. Moments later he did find the target only to have the goal ruled out for offside. Swiss Cup holders and current second division leaders FC Zurich took 15 minutes to muster an attack on the goal kept by Robin Himmelmann, who like Christopher Buchtmann was making his first appearance after two months out injured. Antonio Marchesano teed up a free-kick 20 metres out but rifled his shot well over the bar.

Zurich gradually began to take control of the proceedings with their early pressing game, but the St. Pauli rearguard stood firm. At the other end Choi helped a Jeremy Dudziak cross on to Nico Empen, who cut the ball back for Buchtmann to shoot right-footed over the top with 30 minutes gone.

Just 60 seconds later the Swiss side won a penalty when Jan-Philipp Kalla was adjudged to have brought down FCZ striker Mousa Kone on the edge of the penalty area. It was a debatable one but that didn't bother Oliver Buff, who stepped up to convert. Himmelmann went the right way but he was unable to do anything about it.

Zurich ended the half the stronger. Marco Schönbächler went close with a volley from ten metres and then Kone suddenly found himself clear in front of Himmelmann, who produced a fine reflex save to keep it at 1-0.

Lienen sent out an unchanged side for the second 45, whereas Zurich coach Uli Forte made wholesale changes. The action unfolded primarily in the centre of the park initially, with neither side able to fashion a chance of note. But then the game burst into life on 59. Buchtmann won possession and knocked a neat pass to Choi, who wrongfooted his marker before shooting narrowly wide from 14 metres.

On 67 Zurich had a double chance to extend their lead when St. Pauli lost the ball going forward. Himmelmann saved the first effort from the unmarked Dzengis Cavusevi and then pulled off an equally decent stop to deny Davide Chiumiento on the rebound. At the other end the Boys in Brown continued to struggle to find a way through the solid Swiss rearguard.

Lienen's men stepped up their attacking efforts towards the end but created just one chance for an equaliser in time added on when substitute Jan-Marc Schneider curled a shot just wide from the edge of the box. Zurich then went straight up the field and settled it with a goal from Roberto Rodriguez.

FC St. Pauli

Himmelmann – Park, Kalla, Koglin, Dudziak (Pfeifer 66') – Buchtmann, Neudecker (Rosin 60') – Miyaichi (Neudecker 77'), Choi (Schneider 66'), Litka – Empen

Head coach: Ewald Lienen

FC Zurich 

1st half: Vanins – Stettler, Nef, Bangura, Voser – Yapi, Marchesano – Rohner, Buff, Schönbächler – Koné

2nd half: Vanins – Brunner, Kecojevic, Alesevic, Muheim – Marchesano (Ruegg 72'), Aliu – Winter, Chiumiento, Rodriguez – Cavusevic

Head coach: Uli Forte

Goals: 0-1 Buff (pen' 32'), 0-2 Rodriguez (90' +2)

FC ST. PAULI 1-3 DYNAMO KYIV (HT 0-0)

Head coach Ewald Lienen selected a completely different team compared with the Zurich game for the second warm-up match of the day against Dynamo Kyiv in Marbella. The side included the three winter break signings Lennart Thy, Johannes Flum and Mats Møller Dæhli.

The opening stages were an uneventful affair until Flum tested Artur Rudko for the first time with 16 minutes gone. Two minutes later Cenk Sahin powered his way into the goal area but found no takers. The Ukrainian Champions League outfit slowly began to show their quality and both sides came close to scoring. Andriy Yarmolenko had two good chances and at the other end Møller Dæhli came within a whisker of bagging his first goal for the club.

With both teams looking to get forward, the passing began to deteriorate. Wayward balls in the build-up were a frequent source of danger, though Ewald Lienen's side demonstrated throughout that the grind in training camp has been worthwhile. The only thing lacking in a series of flowing moves was the final pass, and so an entertaining game remained goalless at half-time.

Kyiv reappeared after the interval with eleven new players, whereas Lienen continued to stick by his starting lineup. It was noticeable that the Boys in Brown were looking to pressure the opposition early with a very attacking pressing game. The first opportunity in the second half fell to Viktor Tsyhankov on 50 minutes, however, who blasted a bouncing ball wide of the goal with only Philipp Heerwagen to beat.

A bright St. Pauli performance was blighted in the 57^th minute when Kyiv struck, Artem Besedin nodding in at the far post. And it was to get worse. Barely 60 seconds later Denys Harmash volleyed home a cross to give his side a 2-0 lead.

The Boys in Brown maintained a compact formation and stuck together well, but it was Serhiy Rebrov's side who gained control in the second period. Sahin had a shot blocked after a promising foray involving Thy. But with 72 minutes gone Kyiv demonstrated their Champions League credentials and struck in clinical fashion, Mykola Morozyuk rifling a pinpoint effort into the roof of the net.

In the closing stages the Boys in Brown mounted another assault on the Kyiv goal and reduced the arrears through Jeremy Dudziak just before the end. Overall, this was a decent performance against a Champions League outfit at the end of a successful week.

FC St. Pauli

Heerwagen – Hornschuh, Sobiech, Gonther, Buballa – Nehrig (Rosin 82'), Flum (Dudziak 82') – Sobota, Møller Dæhli (Choi 77'), Sahin – Thy (Schneider 71')

Head coach: Ewald Lienen

Dynamo Kyiv

Rudko – Antunes, Vida, Burda, Tymchik, Rybalka, Sydorchuk, Shepelev, Gromov, Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk

Head coach: Serhiy Rebrov

Goals: 0-1 Besedin (57'), 0-2 Harmash (58'), 0-3 Morozyuk (72'), 1-3 Dudziak (87')

Photo: Witters