FC St. Pauli Secures Friendly Win against Hannover 96
The international break saw FC St. Pauli emerge victorious in a friendly match against Hannover 96. The team secured a 2-0 win in Norderstedt thanks to goals from Luca Zander (52nd) and Oladapo Afolayan (87th). But the game had its moments of shock.
During a heated moment, Pauli’s central defender Jakov Medic collided with his goalkeeper Sascha Burchert in a duel with Hannover’s Maxi Beier. The collision left Medic with a headache, and he had to leave the game (44′). But the youngster Muhammad Dahaba (from the U19s) stepped in and helped Pauli maintain their lead.
Despite missed opportunities from Elias Saad (16th, 30th, 38th), Hannover didn’t have many chances. Beier hit the bar (21st), and Sebastian Ernst failed in the second half after a bad pass from Pauli to Burchert.
A Goal Suspected to be Offside Seals Victory for St. Pauli
Shortly after the break, St. Pauli’s Afeez Aremu (52′) pulled from the penalty area, and Luca Zander successfully steered the ball into the net. Referee Felix Bickel let the goal stand, although it would have been conceded if VAR had been in use.
In the final moments of the game, Oladapo Afolayan scored a beautiful goal (87′) after a fantastic performance from U19 striker Bennet Winter. Otto and Saad also played incredibly well for Pauli.
Overall, a great performance from St. Pauli, especially considering the circumstances with Medic’s injury. Next up, they’ll face Regensburg on April 1st.
