Leipzig see off St.Pauli in six-goal Pokal thriller

The first of the all-Bundesliga clashes in Round 2 of the DfB Pokal took place between RB Leipzig and St.Pauli. Marco Rose’s side advanced on a 4-2 scoreline.

Goals rained in on a glorious night in Leipzig as the floodgates opened in the first-half. Having played out a scoreless draw in league action earlier this season, one could be forgiven for predicting a game with no inches given. However, Die Roten Bullen opened their account for the evening as Baumgartner ousted Saliakas in the duel. After a slashed clearance from Eric Smith, the Austrian’s delivery fell kindly for Poulsen to convert from 7 yards. 

Marco Rose’s men doubled their lead when Geertruida raced down the right flank. His cross was met perfectly by Baumgartner who nodded past Vasilj. St.Pauli halved the defecit before the half-hour as Eggestein made space for Guilavogui to curl beneath Vandevoordt who ought to have done better. But good fortune fell on Leipzig upon the restart – Smith’s clearance cannoned off Andre Silva into the path of Baumgartner. An exquisite outside-of-the-boot pass teed up Poulsen for his brace. 

Alexander Blessin’s spirited outfit refused to let their heads drop and ramped up the pressure in the second-half. Chances continued to fall to a plethora of players including Guilavogui, Wagner, Mets, and Wahl. On the hour mark they pulled another goal back as Eric Smith led by example. It won’t make for pleasant viewing from Vandevoordt’s perspective – the Belgian undone by a wicked deflection off Klostermann which looped over the 22-year-old’s gloves. 

Nerves began to seep into the Leipzig Arena as St.Pauli remained hot on the trail of a third goal, but substitute Antonio Nusa had other ideas. The nifty Norwegian utilised his speed of foot to jink inside Smith and Mets before thumping past Vasilj. There was little the Bosnian goalkeeper could do to prevent the fizzing strike as St.Pauli bowed out of the cup despite a valiant fight.