Match Report
BVB hold firm and win intense match in Hamburg 2-0
Boris Rupert reporting from Hamburg
Borussia Dortmund came up against an opponent that defended resolutely and switched the play decisively at a sold-out Millerntor. Following a hard-fought first half in which there were few highlights, BVB played with more purpose after the interval and quickly took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Serhou Guirassy (50) and Karim Adeyemi (58).
The scenario:
It was 15th versus 10th: St. Pauli were six points clear of the relegation zone, while Borussia were seven and six points adrift of fourth and sixth positions respectively. After starting off the second half of their campaign with two victories, the promoted outfit had lost their last three games in a row. BVB had won 10 of the previous 11 head-to-head meetings with St. Pauli in the Bundesliga.
Personnel matters:
Coach Niko Kovac had to do without Julian Ryerson, who withdrew at short notice due to illness, and replaced him with Yan Couto. That was the only change to the starting XI compared to the 6-0 victory over Union Berlin last weekend.
Tactics:
St. Pauli defended with a five-man rearguard, switched to a 3-4-3 formation when in possession and relied on quick counter-attacks launched with long vertical passes – predominantly over to the right flank. The hosts adopted a courageous approach, pressing Borussia high and early. They applied intense pressure on the ball and did not allow Borussia, who were in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, to settle into their flow. When in possession, Bensebaini moved into central midfield and Groß always shifted over to the left attacking midfield position. BVB then played in a 3-2-4-1 or a 4-1-4-1 formation.
The match & analysis:
Apart from a major error in their build-up play which Dortmund, who were decked out all in yellow, could not capitalise on (11), it was the Hamburg outfit who came out on top in the opening quarter of an hour. The hosts, who defended resolutely and chased down consistently, had their first good chance in the seventh minute when Saad headed just over from five metres out.
There was little change in the intensely contested action that followed. Despite Dortmund's best intentions, St. Pauli did not give anything away, doubled up on the ball-carrying player and cleverly closed down the passing channels. They won almost 60% of the challenges in the first half and hardly allowed the BVB attack to bring any composure into their play thanks to their robustness. And yet the score could have still been 1-0 at the break. In stoppage time, a ball from Couto was played through to Adeyemi on the right wing. However, his shot from a tight angle sailed just wide of the far post.
BVB generally played higher up the pitch at the start of the second half and – more importantly – were now winning the challenges more often. A first phase of pressure quickly led to the opening goal when Couto's cross caused confusion in the home side's box. Treu was initially able to clear the ball and thwart Guirassy, but Adeyemi pounced upon the attempted clearance and shot. A battle ensued between Nemeth and Guirassy, with the Borussia player coming out on top and slotting the ball home from close range (50).
Sabitzer intercepted an Eggestein cross eight minutes later and Beier's long clearance downfield ended up being a great through-ball for Adeyemi to chase over on the left side of the pitch. He outpaced Treu – despite the latter tugging hard at his shirt – then beat Smith and kept his cool in front of goalkeeper Vasilj to make it 2-0. At this point, the shot count stood at 11-4 in Dortmund's favour.
In the 72nd minute, Guirassy did not properly connect with a Beier cross on the penalty spot and Adeyemi fired the ball wide of the target. Shortly afterwards, Guirassy turned a free-kick cross from Groß and a subsequent headed flick-on from Beier into the net, but he was offside and the goal was ruled out (77). St. Pauli went on the attack again in the final minutes, but the defence held firm and kept another clean sheet.
Outlook:
The sixth English week of 2025 is coming up: BVB will face OSC Lille in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on Tuesday (kick-off 21:00 CET), before taking on FC Augsburg next Saturday (15:30 CET).
Teams & goals
Bundesliga Matchday 24
Saturday 1 March 2025, 15:30 CET
FC ST. PAULI 0-2 (0-0) BORUSSIA DORTMUND
FC St. Pauli: Vasilj – Nemeth, Wahl, Van der Heyden – Treu, Irvine, Smith, Ritzka (Saliakas, 83) – Weißhaupt (Sinani, 83), Eggestein (Ceesay, 73), Saad (Afolayan, 57)
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Couto, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini (Svensson, 74) – Sabitzer, Groß – Adeyemi (Gittens, 83), Reyna (Chukwuemeka, 74), Beier (Brandt, 89) – Guirassy (Özcan, 89)
Substitutes: Voll, Dzwigala, Ahlstrand, Albers, Banks – Meyer, Anton, Duranville, Süle
Goals: 0-1 Guirassy (Adeyemi, 50), 0-2 Adeyemi (Beier, 58)
Corners: 7-1 (5-1 at half-time), chance ratio: 2-4 (2-1)
Referee: Stieler (Hamburg), yellow cards: Ceesay – Schlotterbeck, Adeyemi
Attendance: 29,546 (sold-out), weather: dry, 7 degrees