Wolfsburg into relegation play-off after condemning St. Pauli to the drop
Wolfsburg kept alive their hopes of Bundesliga survival with a dramatic final-day victory at St. Pauli, whose relegation to Bundesliga 2 was confirmed at the Millerntor-Stadion.
St. Pauli 1-3 Wolfsburg
Goals: 0-1 Koulierakis 37’ (assist: Eriksen), 1-1 Ceesay 57’ (assist: Metcalfe) 1-2 Vasilj OG 64’, 1-3 Pejčinović 80’
Missed penalty: Eriksen 77’
Dieter Hecking’s side finish the season in 16th and will contest the 2025/26 relegation/promotion play-off after goals from Konstantinos Koulierakis and Dženan Pejčinović - either side of a Nikola Vasilj own goal - earned them all three points against Pauli, who end the campaign in 18th and will return to Bundesliga 2 after a two-year stay in Germany’s top flight.
Pauli needed to beat Wolfsburg and hope Heidenheim failed to win against Mainz at the Voith-Arena to keep their survival hopes alive. Urs Fischer's side did their bit, but Alexander Blessin’s team were unable to take advantage.
The opening exchanges were tense and cagey, with both sides clearly aware of the magnitude of the occasion. Mattias Svanberg had the first real effort of the match in the seventh minute, but his shot from inside the area was blocked by Jackson Irvine.
The game truly burst into life midway through the first half when Joel Chima Fujita struck the underside of the crossbar from 25 metres, only for Wolfsburg to immediately break at the other end. Adam Daghim found himself one-on-one with Vasilj, who made a superb save to deny the Wolves forward. Daghim went close again from the resulting corner, striking the crossbar from point blank range.
Christian Eriksen tested Vasilj with a powerful free-kick and Vinicius Souza headed against the post from a corner not long afterwards, but the breakthrough came in the 37th minute when Eriksen delivered to the near post and Koulierakis rose highest to power a header into the net, giving Vasilj no chance.
St. Pauli made a change at the break, bringing on Abdoulie Ceesay for Andréas Hountondji. The substitute had scored in each of his two previous appearances off the bench, and he made it three in a row in the 57th minute when he nodded Connor Metcalfe's inswinging corner past Kamil Grabara and into the net to spark jubilant scenes among the home supporters.
With Heidenheim losing against Mainz, the hosts needed just one more goal to leapfrog Wolfbsburg in the standings - but they weren't level for long.
In the 64th minute, Wolfsburg won a corner and Vasilj, under pressure from several Wolves players, inadvertently punched the ball into his own net to restore the visitors' advantage.
They had a chance to extend their lead when Tomoya Andō was penalised for handball inside the area, but Eriksen could only thump the resulting penalty against the crossbar.
The Dane was denied again - by Vasilj this time - with 10 minutes left on the clock, but Pejčinović was first to the rebound to complete the scoring and earn Hecking's charges a reprieve in their fight to avoid a return to the second tier for the first time since 1997.
Man of the Match: Konstantinos Koulierakis
Koulierakis played a key role in keeping Wolfsburg's survival hopes alive at the Millerntor-Stadion.
The Greek defender's flicked header put the visitors ahead in the first half, but he also managed to keep Hountondji and Martijn Kaars at bay at the other end as St. Pauli struggled to fashion meaningful opportunities.
Koulierakis comfortably won the Man of the Match poll, winning 37 percent of the votes.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: St. Pauli 1.01 - Wolfsburg 2.16
Fastest player: Adam Daghim (Wolfsburg), 34.97 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 0-1 by Konstantinos Koulierakis (Wolfsburg), 73 percent
Most pressed player: Arkadiusz Pyrka (St. Pauli), 10 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Joakim Mæhle (Wolfsburg), +2.71
Fantasy Heroes: Konstantinos Koulierakis (Wolfsburg, 309 Points), Dženan Pejčinović (Wolfsburg, 269 Points), Connor Metcalfe (St. Pauli, 274 Points)
