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24/04 6:30 PM

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STP St. Pauli St. Pauli - KOE Cologne Cologne

STP

1

KOE

1

86'
L. Waldschmidt
K. Mets
69'

Millerntor-Stadion(Sold out)

Dr. Matthias Jöllenbeck

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53 %Marvin Schwäbe

Marvin Schwäbe

Full-time! St. Pauli 1-1 Cologne

St. Pauli remain in the relegation play-off position after letting slip a 1-0 lead against Cologne. Karol Mets went from hero to zero after opening the scoring and conceding a penalty dispatched with aplomb by substitute Luca Waldschmidt. For their part, the Billy Goats move five points clear of the bottom three.

© IMAGO/nordphoto GmbH/ Witke

Full-time

90'

+ 7

Ouch!

Lund's in a bit of pain after being caught on the top of the foot by Daniel Sinani, who's cautioned.

90'

+ 6

Yellow card

90'

+ 5

Long-ball game

Both sides have tried a couple of long balls in the last couple of minutes, hoping to take advantage of any tired legs. Will we see a late winner?

90'

Added time

Into the first of eight, no doubt very nervy, minutes of stoppage time...

88'

Handbags

Mathias Pereira Lage is involved in a spat with El Mala following the equaliser. Both players are booked, with the Pauli forward making way for Martijn Kaars seconds later.

87'

Substitution

Mathias Pereira Lage

87'

Yellow card

87'

Yellow card

Mathias Pereira Lage

Equaliser!

Luca Waldschmidt sends the goalkeeper the wrong way to bring Cologne level.

© Stuart Franklin

86'

Luca Waldschmidt

GOAL!

1:1

Penalty

Luca Waldschmidt

Goal probability

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

77 %

Shot speed

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

104.84 km/h

Distance to Goal

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11 m

0:33

Penalty check

The referee heads over to the pitchside monitor after Kamínski goes to ground in the box under a challenge from Mets...

83'

SituationNo penalty

ReviewFoul?

DecisionPenalty

82'

Deserved lead

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

Pauli would have been kicking themselves if they hadn't made one of their chances count. They should arguably have more of a cushion, too...

xGoals

1

2.15

0.52

0

Goals

80'

Final throw of the dice

Bayern Munich loanee midfielder Felipe Chávez and former Germany forward Luca Waldschmidt are sent on to rescue something from the game for Cologne.

79'

Substitution

Sebastian Sebulonsen

79'

Substitution

Luca Waldschmidt

Ísak Jóhannesson

78'

Defensive reinforcement

Blessin sacrifices a forward for a central midfielder as Hountondji makes way for Conor Metcalfe.

77'

Substitution

Connor Metcalfe

Andréas Hountondji

76'

Hauled down

Andō can have no complaints after being shown a yellow card for a foul on El Mala. He just couldn't keep up with the young German.

76'

Yellow card

75'

Table talk

That goal has lifted Pauli level on 28 points with Werder Bremen, who sit above the relegation play-off position on goal difference. Cologne are just two points better off in 13th.

72'

Change at left-back

Kristoffer Lund is on for Cologne, with Alessio Castro-Montes making way. Shortly afterwards, Hountondji earns a booking for a late challenge on Schwäbe.

71'

Yellow card

Andréas Hountondji

70'

Substitution

Kristoffer Lund

Alessio Castro-Montes

Breakthrough!

A potentially huge goal in the context of Pauli's survival bid. A corner is played to the back post, where Wahl is allowed to return the ball into the middle for Karol Mets to head past Schwäbe. What a time for the Estonian to score his first Bundesliga goal!

© Stuart Franklin

69'

Karol Mets

GOAL!

1:0

Assist:Hauke Wahl

Karol Mets

Goal probability

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

36 %

Distance to Goal

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

4.73 m

66'

Positive substitution

Blessin makes his first change, with Manolis Saliakas replacing Ritzka. The Greek wing-back has produced a goal and three assists so far this season...

65'

Substitution

Manolis Saliakas

61'

Getting closer

After a fairly tepid first half, it does feel like a goal is coming at the Millerntor...

Goal attempts

6off target

5on target

8off target

0on target

0:27

Off the line!

Tomoya Andō gets up to meet the resultant corner. Schwäbe's beaten, but Bülter is there with a superb goal-line clearance. Huge let-off for the visitors!

56'

Difficult angle

Hountondji gets the better of Simpson-Pusey in the Cologne area, but delays for far too long before stinging the palms of Schwäbe from close range. Corner to come...

55'

Woodwork!

El Mala powers in off the left onto his preferred right foot, before unleashing a rising strike that crashes behind off the crossbar.

53'

Late arrival

Cologne carve open the Pauli defence for the first time with Kamiński. He drives a low pass into the penalty area for Bülter, but he's beaten to it by a defender.

51'

Enforced change

Ache's helped from the field after pulling up hurt. Marius Bülter is his replacement.

51'

Substitution

50'

Very well drilled

Maina wins back possession and sets Ache on his way, but the Pauli players recover ground well and shut down almost every available avenue.

46'

Up and running

Linton Maina, with two goals in 19 Bundesliga appearances so far this season, is on for Thielmann in the Cologne attack. Hosts Pauli are unchanged.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 2

Substitution

Half-time! Pauli 0-0 Cologne

A goalless first half of few chances comes to a close at the Millerntor. Pauli have had the better of the play and should arguably be in front, with Andréas Hountondji spurning two very presentable openings.

© IMAGO/Philipp Szyza

Half-time

45'

+ 1

Half chance

Sebastian Sebulonsen feeds Jan Thielmann in the Pauli area. He turns to face goal, but a deflection takes the shot behind for a corner that comes to nothing.

42'

End product lacking

Will those missed chances come back to haunt Pauli?

Goal attempts

3off target

3on target

4off target

0on target

0:29

Watch: Rasmussen down after collision

39'

Pauli take charge

It's been a positive spell for Paul. They're enjoying a lot of the ball in Cologne territory. The visitors just can't get a grip on possession.

35'

Chance!

Irvine sprays a brilliant pass to the back post, but the angle's always against the sliding Ritzka, who can only turn the ball into the arms of the goalkeeper.

0:29

Big save!

A telling ball comes in from the left, but Schwäbe does really well to deny Hountondji's close-range effort with an outstretched leg.

Tight contest

Plenty of hustle on display from both sides, but no real spark in an attacking sense just yet.

© IMAGO/Stefan Trocha

25'

Expected Goals

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

Just that one Hountondji chance to speak of so far. It's easy to see why Pauli have found goals so hard to come by this season.

xGoals

0

0.59

0.25

0

Goals

20'

Well defended

Lars Ritzka wins a corner that's floated into a crowded penalty, but Jahmai Simpson-Pusey tracks the flight of the ball perfectly and heads to safety.

16'

Direct

A long punt from the back bounces awkwardly in the Pauli penalty area, but Ragnar Ache can't bring it under wraps, allowing Nikola Vasilj to gather.

13'

Tale of the tape

Pauli are pressing Cologne high in the early stages, restricting the visitors to long balls through the middle.

Possession (%)

5545

10'

Free header!

The Cologne defence goes to sleep as a left-wing corner is flicked on into the six-yard box. Andréas Hountondji is completely unmarked, but can only head tamely at the goalkeeper.

7'

Bright Cologne start

Saïd El Mala makes a purposeful run through the middle of the pitch. The teenager holds off two challenges, before shooting over, off balance, from 20 yards.

4'

Worth a go!

Jakub Kamiński wriggles into space in the final third, but his long-range effort is blocked by a Pauli shirt.

1'

Under way!

Five minutes later than scheduled, the ball's rolling!

Kick-off!

Pyrotechnics

Kick-off's on hold in Hamburg as the referee waits for smoke from the pre-match flares to dissipate.

Here they come

It's a deafening atmosphere as the two sets of players take to the field at the Millerntor...

0:43

Watch: Cologne check in at the Millerntor-Stadion

0:11

Watch: All set in Hamburg!

Pitch inspection

Ceesay (l.) and Sinani (r.) take in the pre-match atmosphere at the Millerntor-Stadion.

© IMAGO/Stefan Trocha

0:12

Watch: Pauli in the house!

More on that Pauli team

There is only one change for the hosts as well. Captain Jackson Irvine (pictured) returns from suspension and takes the place of Joel Fujita, who serves a one-match ban of his own after collecting his fifth yellow card of the season on Matchday 29.

© IMAGO/Justus Stegemann

More on that Cologne team

René Wagner has only made one change following last week’s 3-1 win against Werder Bremen, bringing in Alessio Castro-Montes (pictured) for Kristoffer Lund.

© DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze

Starting line-up: 1. FC Köln

Formation:4-4-2

Starting line-up: FC St. Pauli

Formation:3-4-2-1

St. Pauli subs

Voll, Dźwigała, Oppie, Nemeth, Saliakas, Metcalfe, Kaars, Hara, Ceesay

Cologne subs

Zieler, Schmied, Lund, Van den Berg, Krauß, Chávez, Maina, Waldschmidt, Bülter

Alexander Blessin on defeat vs. Bayern

"Heads were down after the match, but even the next day I sensed they wanted to do better. I'm convinced the lads want to put that into practice. We know the situation and the circumstances, that we can catch Cologne again with a win. It's clear we want to win this game. We've talked about certain things; communication is always good. The mood during the week was positive. We want to show a reaction."

© IMAGO/Michael Taeger

Alexander Blessin on facing Cologne

"Wagner has placed his trust in certain players, which some of them seem to appreciate. We have to expect some variations, whether it's a 5-2-3, a 5-3-2, or even sometimes a 4-4-2, if certain players drop back or move inside. We have to react to that."

© IMAGO/Philipp Szyza

René Wagner on Saïd El Mala

"I like him playing alongside Ragy [Ragnar Ache] in transition because it gives us the chance to get close to the back line with a long ball to Ragy. I want Saïd to become even more versatile, to make deep runs, but also to constantly look for opportunities on the wings. That will be his role for the next few games - to become even more unpredictable."

© IMAGO/Laci Perenyi

René Wagner on facing St. Pauli

"They are a team that transition dangerously from a compact block, but they also have a lot of solutions on the ball and we must not fall into those traps. They also have speed in attack and so it comes down to our defensive stability - we were outstanding in that area against Werder Bremen."

© IMAGO/Marco Bader

0:41

Fan support at its finest

Over the course of Matchday 29, fans from several clubs unveiled impressive tifos, showing support for their teams. Here is a look at some of the best…

Cologne on the rise

While Saïd El Mala is Colgone's 11-goal top scorer so far this term, Ragnar Ache is finding form with six goals in his last 12 games, compared to one during the first 17 matches of the campaign. The German's scoring exploits go hand-in-hand with their uptick in form. with the Carnival club unbeaten in four successive Bundesliga matches for the first time this season.

© IMAGO/UWE KRAFT

Misfiring Pauli

Alexander Blessin's side are the Bundesliga's lowest goalscorers in 2025/26 with 25 goals in 29 games. Additionally, they've also had the fewest shots on goal (299) and possess the lowest xGoals (28.3).

© IMAGO/Dennis Ewert/RHR-FOTO

Lift-off for René Wagner

Unbeaten in their last two games (W1 D1), Cologne had the highest xGoals (7.4) of any Bundesliga team across the last two matchdays. With clear attacking patterns and greater control, the Billy Goats are finding form at a crucial moment in the season.

© IMAGO/DeFodi.de

2:03

Watch: Cologne 1-1 Pauli - previous meeting

St. Pauli scored a stoppage-time equaliser when the sides met in Cologne on Matchday 13

2:03

Watch: Pauli 0-5 Bayern Munich - highlights

Pauli are still in real danger after suffering their 16th loss of the league campaign. The good news is they're still four points clear of the automatic relegation zone and only three adrift of outright safety, with five rounds of fixtures remaining.

2:03

Watch: Cologne 3-1 Bremen - highlights

Cologne boosted their survival chances with a priceless win over fellow strugglers Werder Bremen - their first since the end of January. The Billy Goats are now five points clear of the relegation play-off spot occupied by St. Pauli.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 30 fixture between St. Pauli and Cologne.