An attritional night of football saw FC St. Pauli come out on top against 1. FC Nürnberg, with a route-one goal finished by Waldemar Sobota earning them a single-goal victory.
Both sides had struggled to create chances, although Nürnberg had looked just the better side, before a Robin Himmelmann goal kick found its way via the head of Georg Margreitter to the St. Pauli winger to score.
St. Pauli move up to fifth in the 2. Bundesliga table as a result, level on points with the three sides above them; Nürnberg drop to tenth.
Werner liveliest in low-key first half
Both sides had won seven points from their first four games, but because of goal difference they came into the game four places apart, in eighth and twelfth respectively. Both made changes, with Nürnberg handing first starts to Ewerton and Tobias Werner at the expense of Cedric Teuchert and Mikael Ishak in a 3-4-3 formation. St. Pauli were without the injured Christopher Buchtmann and Aziz Bouhaddouz, with Cenk Sahin dropping to the bench – Johannes Flum, Mats Möller Daehli and Maurice Litka started.
With those alterations, both sides struggled to find their flow for much of an uneventful first half. Nürnberg had plenty of promising attacking moves, but they all lacked the final pass into the box, with Edgar Salli and Kevin Möhwald, who would have to go off injured, not really involved, although Salli was not far off an excellent cross from Enrico Valentini. St. Pauli were missing their absent players when going forward.
Werner was the man most involved for the hosts, and he had small claims for a penalty turned down after he went to ground, but Christopher Avevor’s contact was not enough to be considered a foul. It was little surprise that the VfB Stuttgart loanee had the first true sight of goal. Makeshift defender Avevor was again involved, failing to head the ball out of his path, but Werner got a poor touch and Robin Himmelmann was able to get the ball away from him.
The St. Pauli goalkeeper then had to make two important saves to keep his side level. Salli put through Valentini to score however Himmelmann managed to get a leg out to block his shot. From the resulting corner he was eventually tested again, Tim Leibold putting the ball back into the box after it was initially cleared but this time he got his knee to it before Salli could put it in.
St. Pauli eke out a win from very little
Der Club were mightily unlucky not to take the lead soon after the break. Valentini’s free-kick wasn’t the greatest of deliveries, but it still found its way to Georg Margreitter, who hit the bar with his shot. Werner then did likewise on the volley with the rebound, although this time the ball went out.
Litka went on to have a rare opportunity for the visitors, his shot as he slipped on the ground going just over. Werner had another chance for Nürnberg soon after that, but his shot from the left was little problem for Himmelmann.
The keeper then completely caught Nürnberg cold with what turned out to be the opening his goal. His goal kick, with a little help from a Margreitter header, sailed all the way forward to an onrushing Sobota, who swallowed up the chance to put his team ahead having between Eduard Löwen to the ball.
They had to be on guard as Nürnberg tries to get back into the game. Ondrej Petrák was not far off at all with his strike some way outside the penalty area going just wide, whilst Himmelmann proved his worth again when substitute Lucas Hufnagel came forward, rushing out of his box to block him off, before Werner was unable to cross in the loose ball. The winger remained a danger right until being taken off late on, but St. Pauli dealt well with his presence.
The introductions of Teuchert and Ishak, the latter at the expense of Werner, ultimately had little effect for Michael Köllnerbs men in the closing stages, with St. Pauli comfortably seeing through stoppage time for a second win in a row. After a bright start to the campaign, Nürnberg have now lost the last two.