A late comeback from FC St. Pauli earned them a rare home win, and extended Holstein Kiel’s winless run in the 2. Bundesliga to 11 games.

The hosts had taken the lead through Richard Neudecker however Kiel quickly responded with a Kingsley Schindler penalty before Marvin Ducksch put them ahead.

St. Pauli were poor all over the pitch but from nowhere Neudecker got them back level, before Christopher Avevor headed in an 89th-minute winner.

St. Pauli joy quickly turns sour as Kiel seize control

After a first win in four matches in the snow at FC Ingolstadt 04 last weekend (it was snowing here as well, albeit not as much), St. Pauli were unchanged for the visit of third-placed Kiel. The Stocks though haven’t won since the beginning of December, and although only losing two of their ten games in that time, several teams are threatening to overtake them in the table. They made three changes from their draw with Erzgebirge Aue, with Sebastian Heidinger, Alexander Mühling and Steven Lewerenz replaced by Patrick Herrmann, Dominic Peitz and Aaron Seydel.

After an even enough start, St. Pauli drew first blood ten minutes in. A free-kick was taken quickly, with Waldemar Sobota carrying the ball forward. He eventually found Aziz Bouhaddouz, whose luckless season continued as he struck the post. Fortunately for his team though, Neudecker was first to the rebound, from which he made no mistake.

Within eight minutes though they would be trailing. The equaliser came from the spot, as Lasse Sobiech tried to play the ball just inside the box but ended up putting his foot into David Kinsombi instead. Schindler sent Robin Himmelmann the wrong way with his penalty.

St. Pauli then failed to respond to a ball launched up the field by Kenneth Kronholm. Seydel would take it, found Ducksch, who manage to hold off the attention of Avevor to score against the club from which he is still only on loan. Despite that, he had no problem celebrating putting his current side in front with his 13th league goal of the season and third in four games.

The visitors went about seizing control of the game, with Ducksch coming close twice to extending their lead. Getting the better of Avevor again, he managed to strike wide of the post soon after the goal, whilst only the split-second reactions of Himmelmann prevent him from scoring after Peitz’s effort was unintentionally put into his path by Sobiech. A free-kick put over by Neudecker was as close as St. Pauli came to troubling Kronholm before the break.

Neudecker and Avevor lead unlikely revival

The second half continued in a similar vain. Good passing play from Kiel gave Herrmann a chance to score, and although he scuffed his shot it was heading in and Himmelmann had to put it wide. Schindler also had a chance saved, before confusion in the box gave Seydel the chance to lob Himmelmann, but he got back before he could shoot, with the eventually effort saved.

St. Pauli efforts meanwhile were coming to very little. The only sniff they had at this stage of the game was when Bouhaddouz was played through on goal, however his run wasn’t enough to outpace Johannes van den Bergh who was able to clear. Meanwhile Kiel kept hunting for their third, with a Schindler shot blocked excellently by Avevor and another opportunity for Ducksch failing to significantly test Himmelmann.

The St. Pauli equaliser came from nowhere, soon after substitute Mühling had been caught offside at the other end. The ball came across from the right, with Herrmann failing to clear and Jan-Marc Schneider passing to Bouhaddouz, who saw Neudecker to his right. He found him too, with Neudecker’s volley beating Kronholm at the far post.

That helped to put their tails up again, however it still felt as though both sides would be happy to settle for the point in the closing stages. Things would transpire differently though. Neudecker was involved again, taking the corner from the left that was headed towards goal by Avevor. His effort went off Kronholm, but he couldn’t keep it out and St. Pauli had a dramatic winner.

It is just a third home win of the season for St. Pauli, who move up to ninth as a result and, just three points behind Kiel, are amongst the sides chasing them down for the relegation play-off spot. Kiel stay third for another week, but are only ahead of fourth-placed MSV Duisburg on goal difference.

Sunday’s other 2. Bundesliga results

VfL Bochum 0-0 1. FC Nürnberg

SV Darmstadt 98 1-1 1. FC Heidenheim (0-1, Kraus 7‘; 1-1, Jones 60‘)