Blessin hails “top performance” in crucial Stuttgart victory

Here’s the reaction from the St. Pauli camp following their vital home win over Stuttgart.

Goals from Manolis Saliakas and Daniel Sinani either side of half-time put the Kiezkickers firmly in control at the Millerntor-Stadion. Although Jamie Leweling’s 90th-minute strike set up a nervy finale, Alexander Blessin’s side were good value for their victory – their first in seven matches.

Blessin was visibly delighted when speaking after the final whistle, praising both the performance and the patience his team showed.

“We’re very happy that we’ve finally got our just reward again for a good performance,” the head coach said. “We started well and the first half was really strong. Not only defensively, but also with the ball – we had good passing phases and probing moves. We also didn’t allow Stuttgart many chances.”

Captain Jackson Irvine echoed his head coach’s sentiments, highlighting the collective effort in difficult circumstances.

“I’m extremely happy. It was a top performance, especially in the first half,” Irvine said. “We were bold and aggressive, won the ball in the right areas, and everyone who played today was impressive – especially considering the week we’ve had with injuries. We were very dangerous in transition and handled the Stuttgart press well. It was perhaps one of the toughest games of my career.”

Goalscorer Manolis Saliakas underlined the importance of the result in the broader context of the season.

“It was a very important win for us,” he said. “We deserved the three points because we played very well. I want to congratulate all my teammates – we showed great character and the right mindset. We’re back fighting to stay in this league. If we believe in ourselves, we’ll stay up. This win gives us a big boost for the rest of the season. Scoring is great, but the most important thing is that the team won.”

The victory moves St. Pauli to within touching distance of safety, now just two points off the survival places ahead of a daunting trip to Leverkusen next weekend.