It was table topping Ingolstadt against bottom side St Pauli in this midweek 2.Bundesliga encounter. The league leaders would be looking for a straight-forward three points, but St Pauli were in desperate search of a much needed three points.
It was the visitors who started the brighter of the two teams forcing a foul in a dangerous position with the first attack of the game. The Schanzer then regained possession quickly but still couldn't threaten the visiting goal. The visitors who traveled from Hamburg began to struggle even getting the ball out of their own half due to the pressing down by the Ingolstadt midfield. The ball was all theirs and with fifteen minutes gone they had 71% possession. A bad pass led to a chance for the visitors but they seized to pounce on Leckie's mistake a let off for the hosts.
A dangerous run by Hinterseer into the away territory led to a foul from Thy the referee deemed it a bookable offence and the Schanzer had a chance from a central position twenty-five yards out but Danilo's header was hit wide. Halstenberg then made a venture down the left side but the central defender failed to make a chance for the lone striker Verhoek. The breakthrough came in the twenty-second minute Leckie the attacking midfielder hit a low shot aiming for the bottom left corner but it took a cruel deflection of on loan defender Lasse Sobiech summing up how the struggling visitors season had been.
The visitors response was a rather strange one with coach Ewald Lieden keeping his team in a defensive state of mind. The hosts gained confidence from this and Morales went on a twenty metre run in the a central position before hitting a shot which was easily held by Himmelmann. To make matters worse for the Hamburg club striker John Verhoek went down for a few moments with a suspected injury the Dutch striker however carried on to the relief of the traveling fans.
Ingolstadt were now in full control and outplaying St Pauli all over the pith. Frustration was beginning to show on the visiting players this frustration led to Daube getting a yellow card for a needless foul on Hinterseer who wasn't in a dangerous position at the time. The likelihood of a St Pauli comeback was not likely at all as they failed to create any clear-cut chances. The halftime whistle blew and there was only one team in the game as of yet.
Ingolstadt failed to kill the half off with a second but never the less were by far the more comfortable team. St Pauli who have had played to defensive in the first half were going to have to change something if they wanted a chance of points against the current league leaders. Neither team made a change at the start of the second half. Continuing from the first half it looked as if Ingolstadt were still the more positive attacking team.
St Pauli made their first real attack of the half when Görlitz made a run through the middle with the ball but was stopped Hübner who received his fifth yellow card of the season ruling him out until after the winter break. From the costless kick St Pauli made great work with the ball leading to Haarscharf with a shot from sixteen yards out went over the bar. Ingolstadt responded immediately with a bold run forward. Lex on the wing drifted in to the box but was couldn't find the pass to Danilo who had ran from his own half. The visitors now seemed more comfortable this half after a nervous first.
Ingolstadt created yet another chance this time it was Leckie with the ball on the edge of the penalty area, he looked up for Hinterseer but he just missed it and it went out for a goal kick the hosts who had looked comfortable up until now knew they had to get a second to kill of St Pauli and make the three points certain. The first change of the game came with thirty-one minutes left to play. Ralph Hasenhüttl first change of the game was to bring on Bauer for Lex who got a warm applause for his efforts during the game from the home fans.
A long ball down the field from Matip made havoc for the St Pauli defence a moment of miscommunication from central defender Gonther and keeper Himmelmann almost led to a golden chance for Leckie but the keeper managed to deal with it in the end. Another caution for the away team came on the sixty-third minute Gonther received a booking for a dangerous tackle on attacker Leckie. With twenty-five minutes left visiting coach Ewald Lieden made his first change of the game bringing Rzatkowski on for Maier a like for like change in midfield.
The home fans were becoming anxious despite winning comfortably Ingolstadt seemed to have dropped their energy levels and St Pauli were seeing more of the ball and moving up the pitch with it. In an attempt of desperation to seal the victory Hinterseer attempted a twenty-five yard wonder strike but his attempt went high and wide of the target. A worrying sight for home fans came when captain Hübner lay down injured he went off to receive treatment and returned minutes later.
Whilst there was a pause in the game St Pauli made a change youngster Likta coming on for Verhoek who struggled to create many opportunities for himself. With twelve minutes left St Pauli were starting to look threatening in front of goal and eventually got themselves a leveler through the right back Schachten who after a series of defections saw his goal-line tap in give St Pauli a leveler.
Ingolstadt were stunned despite letting pressure on to them minutes before. Almost immediately Ingolstadt got themselves a second to all but seal the win after a weak defensive header from the goal-scorer Schachten there was a melee of players in the box the ball went out to Groß who's shot from ten metres precisely hit the bottom left hand corner.
The visitors who were still celebrating their equaliser went back to old ways and found themselves behind again. Only for 101 seconds St Pauli were level. With the last few minutes remaining it looked as if the team from Hamburg would have to put it all up the field and leave themselves open at the back. Ingolstadt who were looking to kill of time made their final substitution Wannenwetsch replacing Groß.
The referee added five additional minutes to the displeasure of the home fans who were sitting nervously in the fifth and final minute of added time the hosts found themselves with a costless kick and were in no rush to take it. The final whistle went and it was the league leaders who gained the three points whilst the visitors remain at the foot of the table in search of a change of form and results after the winter break.