Last gasp winner: Polter steps up to snatch three points
Match report
Sebastian Polter’s header at the death secured three points for Union Berlin in a dramatic and captivating clash with St Pauli at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. The striker bagged his sixth of the season in the second minute of stoppage time following a rather uneventful 90 minutes.
As expected, the atmosphere in Köpenick was a particular high note – the Alte Försterei was sold out completely at 22,012 for one of the most in-demand clashes of the season. The start was rather equal with Simon Hedlund threatening in behind for Union, while Mats Moller Daehli was industrious on the same flank for St Pauli.
Control of the play ebbed and flowed with Keller’s side starting well. Christopher Buchtmann, key to St Pauli’s offensive play, found more space in the middle towards the end of the first period and it correlated with an increase in chances for the club from Hamburg.
Just before the half time break, referee Bastian Dankert wasn’t fooled by an embarrassing attempt from Sami Allagui to win a penalty kick. The Tunisian striker was booked for simulation and wasn’t given a particularly positive reception for the remainder of the afternoon.
Allagui, however, was presented with the best chance of the entire game. Just past the hour mark, the former Mainz and Hertha striker found himself one-vs-one with Jakob Busk, but the Danish keeper did brilliantly to keep St Pauli at bay. Allagui then missed a good headed chance from Zander’s cross.
And so, the home side would have the last laugh. In the second minute of stoppage time, Trimmel’s delivery was powered into the net by Polter from close range.
"Of course, such a last-minute victory feels better than defeat. We have already lost two or three games in the last few minutes, so today we were lucky, it was on our side. We did well at the final set piece before the goal and Polter did a good job. In the first half we have to score a goal because we had the game well under control, but little happened. We played against a very strong opponent today, but the team believed in themselves and took a big risk because we wanted to win the game,” Keller said.
With 2.Bundesliga action postponed across the international break, Union Berlin’s next match will be against Danish side AC Horsens, who are guests to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Thursday November 9 at 18:00. Union head to Heidenheim on November 18 for the next league encounter of the season.
Promotion hopefuls Union Berlin out to protect strong form
Match preview
The last game before the international break, Union Berlin will welcome St Pauli to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Saturday November 4 at 13:00. The Köpenick club are able to extend their lead over St Pauli to six points and push closer to the likes of Holstein Kiel and Fortuna Düsseldorf at the top of the league.
“Every game, week after week, is important,” replied coach Jens Keller when asked if there was any special significance around the game. “If we had won in Duisburg, then we’d have gotten closer to the first three. But every week, you can see that it’s not easy to secure the points. That’s why it’s not a special game, but there are of course three important points that we want to keep here. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter what your opponent’s name is.”
With a sell-out crowd at the Alte Försterei, the supporters can expect an exciting, action-packed encounter on the 13th matchday of the campaign. “We are looking forward to Saturday. There will be a great atmosphere in the stadium and we’re playing against a good side,” added Keller, whose side are five games unbeaten in the 2.Bundesliga.
“The game will be a great challenge. I’m looking forward to it,” said St Pauli coach Olaf Jansen about the trip to Berlin. “We want to bring our own DNA to the pitch and not just be friends. When we play deep, we are causing problems. We have to be courageous and self-confident,” added Jansen, who can call upon striker Aziz Bouhaddouz after a spell on the sidelines.
Keller, meanwhile, was keen to praise the qualities of the side from Hamburg: “FC St. Pauli has a lot of quality in the team and has played a good switchover. Forwards they have fast, agile players and I expect they will act from a compact defensive. In the switching game, we have to pay particular attention to the enormous quality and speed of them.”
There are no injury concerns for Union Berlin with the exception of longer-term absentees Atsuto Uchida and Kenny Redondo. The match is a complete sell-out and there will be no tickets available for purchase at the stadium.
Please note: There are no trains running between Ostkreuz and Ostbahnhof due to ongoing construction works.
