Louis Oppie scored the winner for St. Pauli with seven minutes remaining - © IMAGO/Norbert Jansen / fohlenfoto

bundesliga

St. Pauli end Borussia Mönchengladbach's unbeaten run to reach DFB Cup quarter-finals

02.12.2025

St. Pauli booked their place in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup with victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach, whose five-game unbeaten run came to an end at Borussia-Park.

Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-2 St. Pauli
Goals: 0-1 Kaars 43’, 1-1 Tabaković 56’, 1-2 Oppie 83’

Unbeaten since a 3-0 defeat to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich at the end of October, Gladbach started on the front foot and created several opportunities to take a first-half lead.

Kevin Stöger’s long-range effort was parried around the post by St. Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, who was relieved to see headers from Haris Tabaković and Shūto Machino fly narrowly off target.

At the other end, Martijn Kaars sent a low shot straight at Moritz Nicolas before dragging a left-footed effort wide from a tight angle, but it was third time lucky for the Dutchman as he arrowed a low drive into the bottom corner late in the first half to put the visitors ahead.

Haris Tabaković cancelled out Martijn Kaars' opener in the second half - IMAGO/Ulrich Hufnagel

St. Pauli’s lead was cancelled out 11 minutes into the second half when Franck Honorat’s beautifully weighted cross was met by Tabaković, who planted a firm header past Vasilj to equalise for the Foals.

Despite seeing plenty of the ball, Eugen Polanski’s team failed to build on Tabaković’s header as St. Pauli quickly regained their composure and went close to restoring their advantage through Jackson Irvine, whose low shot was well held by Nicolas.

However, moments after producing a last-ditch challenge to prevent Tabaković from getting on the end of Machino’s low cross, Louis Oppie collected Kaars' pass and squeezed a low shot past the Gladbach custodian to book Die Kiezkicker’s place in the last eight.

LIVE blog!

M'gladbach

Tue, 02.12 17:00

St. Pauli

DFB Pokal
Round of 16 Round of 16 Borussia-Park

FULL-TIME: Gladbach 1-2 St. Pauli

The visitors are through to the last eight! St. Pauli were beaten 4-0 by Gladbach in the Bundesliga a few short weeks ago, but goals from Kaars and Oppie earn Blessin's team their first win after 90 minutes since September. What a night for Die Kiezkicker!

90'

+ 5

Seconds remaining

St. Pauli are moments away from booking their plac e in the quarter-finals.

90'

+ 3

Duo cautioned

The referee shows Engelhardt and Irvine yellow cards following the Gladbach man's challenge on Fujita.

90'

+ 3

Pauli holding on

Reitz lets fly from distance but it's straight at Vasilj. Has Gladbach's last chance just been and gone?

90'

+ 1

Two more Pauli changes

ON: Metcalfe, Ritzka OFF: Sands, Oppie

90'

Time running out for Foals

Into four minutes of added time at the end of the second half.

88'

Blessin shuffles his pack

ON: Ceesay, Sinani OFF: Pereira Lage, Kaars

86'

Triple change for Gladbach

ON: Mohya, Ranos, Kleindienst OFF: Stöger, Diks, Tabaković

Pauli back in front!

Oppie collects Kaars' pass, cuts inside onto his right foot and unleashes a low shot towards the near post. Nicolas gets a hand to the ball but can't prevent it from trickling over the line and into the back of the net. St. Pauli's fans go wild!

83'

Louis Oppie

GOAL!

1:2

79'

Superb defending!

Tabaković is inches away from getting on the end of Machino's cross, but Oppie produces a fantastic goal-saving challenge to deny the striker. The 23-year-old hurts himself in the process but is quickly back on his feet.

79'

Snuffed out

Fujita's attempt is deflected high into the air, allowing Nicolas to dash off his line and smother the loose ball.

77'

Good response

This is a good spell Pauli, who have regained their composure since Tabaković's equaliser. The visitors are seeing plenty of the ball.

Level pegging

Little to choose between the two sides as we head into the final 15 minutes.

74'

CLOSE!

Golden opportunity for St. Pauli as the unmarked Irvine is picked out inside the box, but the visiting captain can't get enough power behind his shot and Nicolas makes a comfortable save.

72'

Cut out

Pyrka and Irvine combine well on the edge of the box before the skipper lays the ball off for Oppie, whose cross is blocked by a Gladbach defender.

70'

Too deep

Reitz's deep cross is collected by Stöger, but the ball had already gone behind for a St. Pauli goal-kick.

68'

Double change for Gladbach

ON: Herrmann, Reitz OFF: Honorat, Skally

67'

Off target from Pereira Lage

Kaars' low cross evades Irvine but lands at the feet of Pereira Lage, who drags a low shot well wide of Nicolas' right-hand post.

Another shoot-out in store?

St. Pauli have already had two penalty shoot-outs in the DFB Cup this season. Long way to go yet, of course.

62'

Oppie goes close

The wing-back collects Irvine's pass and thumps a vicious left-footed shot into the side-netting. Better from the visitors.

59'

Pauli under pressure

Scally's cross is headed clear by Wahl, but Vasilj is quickly forced into action again as another Tabaković header flies straight at the St. Pauli goalkeeper.

Gladbach are level!

Borussia's best move of the match results in a goal. Honorat picks out Tabaković with a beautifully weighted cross and the striker nods the ball past Vasilj to equalise. All square again at Borussia-Park!

56'

Haris Tabaković

GOAL!

1:1

53'

Break in play

Fujita and Ullrich collide near the centre circle and stay down. Both players need a spot of treatment but are soon back on their feet.

51'

Brilliant football

Superb one-touch passing from St. Pauli as Oppie picks out Fujita, who tries to thread a ball into Kaars inside the area - but the Dutchman is denied by a last-ditch challenge by Diks.

49'

Ambitious from Elvedi

The Foals skipper tries his luck from a full 30 metres out, but his shot isn't troubling Vasilj.

47'

Can Gladbach respond?

The Foals are enjoying plenty of possession early in the second half. Tabaković looks to get on the end of a long ball over the top of the St. Pauli defence, but Smith is on hand to clear the danger.

46'

Off we go again!

St. Pauli get us up and running in the second half

Elsewhere...

In tonight's other early DFB Cup tie, Hertha Berlin lead fellow Bundesliga 2 side Kaiserslautern 3-1 at the interval.

HALF-TIME: Gladbach 0-1 St. Pauli

The Foals have had the better of the first-half opportunities, but Kaars' well-taken goal separates the two teams at the interval.

45'

Into stoppage time

One minuted added on at the end of the first half.

The visitors take the lead!

Kaars has his first St. Pauli goal - and what a lovely finish it is. The Dutchman waltzes into the Gladbach area, skips past a couple of Foals defenders before arrowing a low, right-footed shot past Nicolas and into the corner of the net.

43'

Martijn Kaars

GOAL!

0:1

40'

Blocked

Pyrka picks out Fujita, who skips past a defender before cutting the ball back for Irvine on the edge of the box. The Pauli skipper doesn't strike it particularly cleanly, however, his shot bouncing harmlessly off Stöger.

Half-time approaching

Into the final five minutes of the first half. Time for an opener before the break?

37'

Fujita goes to ground

The Japan international is felled by Diks and St. Pauli have a free-kick near the halfway line.

34'

Easy save

The lively Ullrich wins a corner for Gladbach. Stöger's delivery is cleared by Mets - but only as far as Honorat, whose shot takes a wicked deflection off a St. Pauli defender and loops into the arms of Vasilj.

Half an hour in...

Things have quietened down a bit since that flurry of chances earlier on. Gladbach have had the better openings, but it remains goalless at Borussia-Park.

29'

Good spell of possession

Still the visitors have the ball. Gladbach will be more than happy to let them keep hold of it near the halfway line - Nicolas has had precious little to do since that early Kaars effort.

26'

Visitors slowing game down

The St. Pauli defenders are passing the ball among themselves in an effort to slow the pace of the game. Gladbach have been turning the screw in the last few minutes.

23'

Stöger denied... twice

The Austrian pounces on a loose ball inside the area and lets fly. His first attempt is blocked by the boot of Mets, who manages to get in the way of the midfielder's second attempt too.

21'

Promising from Pauli

Irvine and Kaars combine well on the left side of the Gladbach penalty area. The latter cuts inside and tries to pick out Pyrka in the area, but his pass evades everyone inside the box and the hosts are able to regroup.

18'

Not troubling Nicolas

Pereira Lage picks out Kaars, who drags a low, left-footed shot wide of the far post from a tight angle. Plenty of opportunities for both sides in the last ten minutes or so.

Machino nods wide

Another decent chance for Gladbach as Machino gets on the end of Honorat's delivery but can't quite steer his effort on target.

14'

Off target from Tabaković

End-to-end stuff at Borussia-Park as Tabaković flashes a header narrowly wide of Vasilj's right-hand post.

13'

Kaars denied

At the other end, Kaars fires a low shot straight into the arms of Gladbach keeper Nicolas.

12'

GOOD SAVE!

Vasilj is called into action for the first time. It's a fine stop by the birthday boy too, as he scampers across the goal-line and parries Stöger's goal-bound effort behind for a corner, which St. Pauli manage to clear.

Foals dominating possession

Gladbach have only scored in two of their seven Bundesliga matches on home soil this season. They've had plenty of the ball so far but have yet to test Vasilj in the St. Pauli goal.

Pyrka to the rescue

Elvedi, who is captaining the Foals for the first time tonight, picks out Ullrich with a raking crossfield pass, but Pyrka is on hand to clear the ball out for a Gladbach throw, which comes to nothing.

Sands cautioned

The St. Pauli defender picks up the first yellow card of the tie following a late challenge on Diks.

Smith outpaces Machino

More good defending by the visitors as Machino is sent racing after a long pass down Gladbach's left, but Smith is alert to the danger and beats the Japan international to the ball.

First foray forward

Reyna is brought down near the centre circle, but the referee plays advantage and Gladbach surge forward. Scally and Engelhardt exchange passes on the edge of the box, but the duo are eventually crowded out by the St. Pauli defence.

KICK-OFF!

The hosts get this DFB Cup last-16 tie under way.

More on that Gladbach team

Eugen Polanski makes four changes to the Foals side that drew 0-0 with RB Leipzig on Friday. Netz, Castrop, Reitz and Neuhaus drop out, with Ullrich, Stöger, Reyna and Machino restored to the starting XI. Elvedi (pictured) captains Borussia for the first time in a competitive fixture.

More on that St. Pauli team

Alexander Blessin makes two alterations to the side beaten by Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The injured Hountondji is replaced by Kaars, while Oppie is preferred to Ritzka on the left flank.

Gladbach starting XI

Nicolas - Scally, Diks, Elvedi (c), Ullrich - Engelhardt, Stöger - Honorat, Reyna, Machino - Tabaković

Gladbach subs

Pereira, Friedrich, Kleindienst, Netz, Fraulo, Reitz, Ranos, Herrmann, Mohya

St. Pauli starting XI

Vasilj - Wahl, Smith, Metz - Pyrka, Sands, Oppie - Fujita, Irvine (c) - Kaars, Pereira Lage

St. Pauli subs

Voll, Dzwigala, Ritzka, Saliakas, Ahlstrand, Metcalfe, Sinani, Ceesay, Jones

Gladbach team news

Germany international Tim Kleindienst made a second brief substitute appearance against Leipzig, having missed the whole season so far due to a knee injury. The striker is set to be given more playing time in Tuesday's tie, but Florian Neuhaus will miss the game with a muscle problem and Jens Castrop is ill.

St. Pauli team news

Alexander Blessin was forced into three changes during the Bayern match on Saturday evening. Andréas Hountondji will miss Tuesday's tie with the muscle injury he suffered in the first half at the Allianz Arena, but Lars Ritzka and Mathias Pereira Lage could feature.

Alexander Blessin on facing Gladbach

"You can see with them what happens when a few things change and they start having positive experiences. It was only a matter of time. They have a generally high level of quality in their team, so it’s no coincidence. We need that kind of breakthrough as well. We have to do everything we can to get a positive result again.”

Eugen Polanski on facing Pauli

"St. Pauli are a really good team. Even if the current league table or certain statistics might suggest otherwise, this team has an enormous amount of quality. If you watched their match against Bayern, you can see the passion with which they defend and how clear and structured their football is. They bring the complete package. That’s exactly why this will be a really dangerous match for us.

2:03

Watch: St. Pauli 0-4 Gladbach - highlights

Haris Tabaković scored a brace in a comfortable win for Gladbach in the Bundesliga at the start of November.

Nine, oh nein

Two stoppage-time goals condemned St. Pauli to a ninth consecutive Bundesliga defeat at Bayern on Saturday. On the plus side, they can take encouragement from coming so close to a result at the champions, while the only success in that unfortunate spell was their penalty shoot-out win over Hoffenheim in the previous cup round.

0:59

Watch: Bayern Munich 3-1 St. Pauli - highlights

Gladbach gaining ground

After a poor start to the season, Gladbach stretched their unbeaten run to five matches by holding high-flying Leipzig to a goalless draw on Friday evening. The Foals are now up to 11th in the Bundesliga table.

1:01

Watch: Gladbach 0-0 Leipzig - highlights

Gladbach - the story so far

The Foals struggled past fifth-tier Atlas Delmenhorst in round one, edging out a narrow 3-2 victory. They produced a more assured display in the second, however, brushing Karlsruhe aside 3-1 with goals from Shuto Machino, Nico Elvedi and Haris Tabaković.

Pauli - the story so far

The Kiezkicker haven't taken the easy route in the first two rounds, progressing through both via a penalty shoot-out. The first came away to Eintracht Norderstedt, over whom they triumphed 3-2 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. Against Hoffenheim in the second, they stormed into an early lead with a first-minute Wahl opener before being pegged back. Tied after 90 minutes, Kramarić gave the Sinsheimers a 2-1 advantage in extra-time, but a last-gasp equaliser from Pereira Lage sent them to penalties, which Pauli won 8-7.

Welcome!

Welcome and thank you for joining us for build-up and live coverage of the DFB Cup Round of 16 match between Borussia Mönchengladbach and St. Pauli. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:00 p.m. CET on Tuesday.

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