Bayer Leverkusen claim commanding victory over St. Pauli
Bayer Leverkusen claimed an emphatic 4-0 triumph over struggling St. Pauli, recording their third win in four Bundesliga games while condemning their opponents to a fourth straight defeat on the road.
Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 St. Pauli
Goals: 1-0 Quansah 13’ (assist: Poku), 2-0 Schick 14’ (assist: Vázquez), 3-0 Tapsoba 52’ (assist: García), 4-0 Poku 78’ (assist: Hofmann)
After being held to a 1-1 draw by local rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 21, Leverkusen were keen to return to winning ways against St. Pauli.
The visitors arrived at the BayArena having breathed new life into their survival fight with a 2-1 win against Stuttgart – their first victory of 2026. However, Alexander Blessin's side had collected just two points away from home all season, and were facing a Leverkusen team they had lost to in the DFB Cup only 11 days prior.
With the hosts chasing a top-four finish and the visitors desperate to escape the relegation zone, there was plenty at stake for both sides.
Quick-fire double puts Leverkusen in control
St. Pauli started confidently, winning an early corner through Martijn Kaars, but it was Leverkusen who struck first in devastating fashion.
After 13 minutes, a corner was initially cleared but only as far as Ernest Poku, who lofted the ball back into a dangerous area. Jarell Quansah rose highest to meet it, heading the ball against the crossbar and into the net via goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.
Before St. Pauli could regroup, they were two down. Just a minute later, Patrik Schick forced Vasilj into a smart save, but Lucas Vázquez collected the rebound and lofted the ball towards the far post where Schick was waiting to nod home.
Tapsoba and Poku complete the rout
In the 52nd minute, Aleix García delivered a pinpoint corner which Edmond Tapsoba met with a powerful header to make it 3-0. The intensity naturally dropped after the third goal, with Leverkusen controlling proceedings and making several substitutions.
The scoring was completed in spectacular fashion in the 78th minute when Ernest Poku received the ball from Jonas Hofmann, cut inside onto his left foot and unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box that flew into the top corner.
St. Pauli finally registered their first shot on target through Joel Chima Fujita late on, but it was comfortably saved by Janis Blaswich.
Man of the Match: Edmond Tapsoba
Tapsoba put in a commanding performance at both ends of the pitch, combining defensive solidity with attacking threat.
A rock at the back, he helped Leverkusen keep a clean sheet against St. Pauli's attack. His headed goal from García's corner effectively killed off any slim hopes the visitors had of mounting a comeback, making it 3-0 early in the second half.
The centre-back has now scored four league goals this season – impressively, he had only scored three in his entire previous Bundesliga career. His stellar performance earned him the Man of the Match award with almost a third of the votes.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Leverkusen 0.9 - St. Pauli 0.69
Fastest player: Arkadiusz Pyrka (St. Pauli), 34.39 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 4-0 by Ernest Poku (Leverkusen), 3.99 percent
Most pressed player: Alejandro Grimaldo (Leverkusen), 20 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Edmond Tapsoba (Leverkusen), +4.61
Fantasy Heroes: Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen, 427 Points), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen, 350 Points), Ernest Poku (Bayer Leverkusen, 308 Points)
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