First Team

Best possible outcome

Wolves beat FC St. Pauli 3-1 to secure a place in the relegation play-off!

VfL Wolfsburg held their nerve in the relegation battle and finished above FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Heidenheim: In the direct showdown for 16th place, head coach Dieter Hecking’s side beat the Kiezklub 3-1 (1-0) on Saturday afternoon to avoid automatic relegation. Konstantinos Koulierakis (38’), an own goal from Hamburg goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj (64’) and Dzenan Pejcinovic (80’) scored the goals for the Green-and-Whites in front of 29,546 spectators at a sold-out Millerntor-Stadion. For the third time after 2017 and 2018, the Wolves will now compete in the relegation play-off. Their opponents in the first leg at the Volkswagen Arena on Thursday evening, 21 May (kick-off 8.30pm CEST), will be decided on Sunday afternoon’s final second-division matchday between SV Elversberg, Hannover 96 and SC Paderborn.

Team news

Compared to the home game against Bayern, the Green-and-Whites had to cope with another absence in Patrick Wimmer. Hecking made one change to the starting XI, with Mattias Svanberg replacing the Austrian. FC St. Pauli, who had most recently lost 2-1 at RB Leipzig, made two changes: Hauke Wahl and Adam Dzwigala came into the side.

Match summary

The showdown for 16th place began as expected with plenty of intensity, as both teams looked to attack from the outset. After some early St. Pauli advances down the right flank, all successfully dealt with by the Green-and-Whites, things suddenly became dangerous at both ends. Joel Chima Fujita first rattled the crossbar with a superb curling effort (22’), before Adam Daghim raced clear at the other end moments later but was denied by Vasilj, only to hit the underside of the bar from the resulting corner shortly afterwards! Vini Souza then also headed against the woodwork from a corner soon after (33’). St. Pauli remained dangerous on the counter, with Kamil Grabara producing an excellent save from a long-range effort (34’). It therefore came as little surprise when the Wolves took the lead from one of their many set pieces in the 38th minute. Shortly before the break, however, Andreas Hountondji somehow missed a near-certain equaliser from close range after choosing the wrong foot for the finish (43’).

After the restart, St. Pauli increased the pressure. Dzenan Pejcinovic had the first attempt of the second half (54’), but shortly afterwards Ceesay levelled from a corner somewhat out of nowhere during that phase of the game (57’). VfL responded quickly and immediately stepped back on the gas. Successfully so: Vasilj punched the ball into his own net while trying to clear under pressure, putting the Wolves back in front (64’) – and they could have extended their lead shortly afterwards. Following a handball in the penalty area, Daniel Siebert awarded a penalty after a VAR review, but Christian Eriksen failed to convert. The Dane smashed the ball against the crossbar! While everything in the parallel match in Heidenheim continued to go VfL’s way, the Green-and-Whites also kept matters under control in Hamburg. Once Pejcinovic made it 3-1 from close range following up a rebound (80’), there was no longer any doubt. Even before the seven minutes of added time, it had become largely clear: Heidenheim and St. Pauli would be relegated, while the Wolves would contest the relegation play-off for the final Bundesliga spot.

Goals

  • 0-1 Koulierakis (38’): From an Eriksen corner, the Greek rises highest and heads the ball over Vasilj into the far corner.
     
  • 1-1 Ceesay (57’): Almost a carbon copy of Wolfsburg’s opener: corner to St. Pauli, Ceesay gets the better of his marker in the box and powers the ball home from close range.
     
  • 1-2 Vasilj (64’, own goal): So important! In the hottest phase of the game, Hecking’s side show character and retake the lead. Under pressure, the Hamburg goalkeeper tries to punch the ball clear but sends it into his own net instead.
     
  • 1-3 Pejcinovic (80’): Surely that seals it! Following a strong move involving Gerhardt and Eriksen, Pejcinovic taps home from close range.

Reactions

Dieter Hecking: First of all, a word for those responsible at St. Pauli and for Alex Blessin: I know these are bitter moments. Today we’re the fortunate ones, but the club conducted itself with great respect towards us. In such a painful moment, that cannot be taken for granted, and I take my hat off to them for that. Over the 90 minutes, I think we were the better team. We had clear chances that we could have taken even better. If the shot off the crossbar in the first half goes in, maybe it becomes a different game. After the 1-1, the match really came alive in the second half and had a level of drama you wouldn’t wish for. After the missed penalty, we knew we would have a lot of defending to do. But we did that well and then, thank God, managed to finish off that one counterattack. Now we have the privilege of being able to play in the relegation play-off after a season like this. That is now our sole focus.

Alexander Blessin: Congratulations to Dieter and his team. It’s difficult to put everything into words. I think this match summed up the entire season with all its ups and downs. We didn’t have the momentum on our side, we didn’t stick to our positions and we defended poorly as well. If we make it 1-1 before half-time, this place really erupts. We came out after the break, still managed to score and were then well in the game, although I have my own opinion about the second goal we conceded. After that, we threw everything at it once more. The fact we were still relegated hurts immensely. But in the end, you also have to be honest enough to accept it when you finish in that position after 34 matchdays.

Line-ups and match stats

FC St. Pauli: Vasilj – Wahl, Smith, Ando (77’ Jones) – Pyrka, Irvine (90’+1 Hara), Metcalfe (90’+1 Rasmussen), Oppie, Fujita – Kaars, Hountondji (46’ Ceesay)

Substitutes: Voll (goalkeeper), Mets, Ritzka, Stevens, Sinani

VfL Wolfsburg: Grabara – Belocian, Vavro, Koulierakis – Kumbedi, Souza, Maehle – Svanberg (67’ Gerhardt), Eriksen (90’+4 Majer) – Daghim (88’ Shiogai), Pejcinovic (90’+4 Amoura)

Substitutes: Pervan (goalkeeper), Jenz, Zehnter, Lindström, Paredes

Yellow cards: Ceesay, Fujita / Souza, Daghim, Shiogai

Notable incident: Eriksen misses penalty for handball (77’, against the crossbar)

Goals: 0-1 Koulierakis (38’), 1-1 Ceesay (57’), 1-2 Vasilj (64’, own goal), 1-3 Pejcinovic (80’)

Referee: Daniel Siebert (Berlin)

Attendance: 29,564 at the Millerntor-Stadion on Saturday afternoon (sold out)