Neighborhood returns to the Bundesliga - The St. Pauli manager held the injured player.
A day after Holstein Kiel, another northern team can begin their promotion celebrations. What a surprise: after being relegated in 2011, St. Pauli have returned to the top division! No one would have predicted this outcome before the season, considering the strong competition from teams like Hertha, Schalke, and HSV.
The first sign of excitement at the Millerntor came as early as the 7th minute when Afolayan headed a cross from the left over the line, making it 1-0 for St. Pauli. From then on, Coach Fabian Hürzeler's team was in control and managed to maintain their lead until halftime.
In the second half, the champagne could finally be chilled. Afolayan scored his second goal from seven meters out to make it 2-0 and bring his team very close to the Bundesliga (58'). Ten minutes later, Hartel made it 3-0 (68').
The 3-0 goal caused a massive outburst of joy at the Millerntor. But not for everyone; Smith had a heated conversation with Coach Hürzeler when he was substituted (72').
Kehl scored a consolation goal for St. Pauli, reducing the deficit to 3-1 with a penalty in stoppage time, but that didn't change the outcome. St. Pauli have been promoted to the Bundesliga.
The club had planned to prevent the fans from storming the pitch but had also announced they might open the gates for safety reasons. So, that's exactly what happened. The fans rushed onto the pitch to celebrate their promotion heroes. The stadium became a massive party mile!
Coach Hürzeler, carried on his teammates' hands after the game, was elated after the final whistle on Sky: "This is an indescribable moment. I'm incredibly happy that we could give something back to the fans. I'm happy for the team that it worked out this way. I'm just happy to be the coach of this team. This success is a testament to the team's hard work. Everyone had to perform perfectly, and they did."
What are your evening plans? Hürzeler: "I'm not much of a beer or gin and tonic drinker. I prefer wine."
St. Pauli's Swedish star Eric Smith: "I'm incredibly proud of the boys. We've reached our goal. Now I'm hoping for a lot of beer tonight."
Karlsruhe - Hannover 1:2
Voglsammer gave the visitors the lead with their first chance (19'), but KSC equalized before halftime through Nebel (45'). In the second half, Halstenberg put the 96ers back in front after a corner (65').
Braunschweig - Wiesbaden 1:0
Braunschweig won 1-0 against Wiesbaden, saving them from relegation on the penultimate matchday. Helgason scored the winning goal in the 22nd minute to make it 1-0 for Braunschweig.
The goal was not just significant but also important in securing their spot in the league for next season.
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Source: symclub.org
