St Pauli delivered a phenomenal defensive performance in their first match against Bayern Munich in over 13 years. Back in 2011, the Bavarian giants romped to an incredible 8-1 victory over the Weltpokalsiegerbesieger, leading to a swift and demoralizing relegation. Finally back in the Bundesliga, however, St Pauli’s defense was much more prepared for the task at hand. Though they still lost, limiting Bayern to just one long range goal was something the entire Pauli team was proud of:
“We didn’t expect a clear win,” sporting director Andreas Bornemann admitted, via FCBayern.com. “You can only take your hat off to the team for their defensive performance. There were one or two moments that we could’ve made a bit more of, and then maybe we could’ve nicked a point. It wouldn’t have been undeserved when you look at our running and defensive performance.”
Head coach Alexander Blessin agreed with the general assessment: “If you only lose 1-0 to Bayern, you’ve done a lot of things right overall. We didn’t allow many chances. We knew we wouldn’t get many chances from open play because they just press well. We were well in the game but then Musiala comes up with a fantastic goal. We should’ve had better communication there. From then it’s difficult. We left everything on the pitch, gave everything, so I can’t criticise the team.”
Though Blessin could not find fault with the team, defender Hauke Wahl still could not shake off the feeling that there was more for them in this game: “We’re disappointed we weren’t able to get anything. We defended very well over 90 minutes. Bayern didn’t have many clear chances – one or two, yes, but Bayern will always get them. The goal came from nothing, though, from giving the ball away. We also had our moments but unfortunately it didn’t go our way today.”
Fellow defender Lars Ritzka summed it up the best, though: “At the end of the day, a narrow defeat is still a defeat. Regardless whether it’s 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0, we’re left without any points, which is a shame.”
Despite the impressive performance, St Pauli are left with just 8 points after matchday 10 and are fighting against relegation. If they can maintain their superb defense, however, they retain a good chance at remaining in the Bundesliga.
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