Fortuna Dusseldorf - ST PAULI
St. Pauli's duel with Fortuna Dusseldorf was certainly one of the stranger matches of the .2 Bundesliga so far. The hosts finished the game with 9 men, as a disastrous second half waved goodbye to Bodzek and Hoffmann. After the first dismissal, Fortuna strangely and instantly took the lead. A number of clumsy challenges lead the referee no option to start handing out verbal cautions and cards. The second red was handed to Bodzek after a second yellow. No questions asked, a lousy challenge on Sahin, a long 30 minutes remained for Fortuna.
The first goal arrived minutes later, as a corner wasn't dealt with by the visitors. A series of deflections meant that the ball fell to a perfectly positioned Hoffmann, not the man Fortuna would have wanted in that scenario, but he calmly volleyed it past a flat-footed Heerwagen. St Pauli, caught off-guard despite having the extra man advantage.
Fortuna didn't have long to celebrate as St Pauli equalized only minutes later. Similar to the first goal, but from a free-kick delivered by Sobota. Again, the ball was knocked about in the box as Rensing awkwardly juggled it to Zeireis. Similar to Hoffmann, the odds weren't in his favour to score, but a moment of quality saw the ball rocket into the roof of the net. Game on.
A game-changing moment in the 82nd minute. A straight red for the first goal scorer, Hoffmann. Sahin was through on goal, permitting a solid challenge from the number 3. He couldn't handle the wingers pace as the Turk was swiped from his feet. A straight red, leaving the struggling hosts in a spot of bother. With their 9 men having the last 10 minutes to salvage what they could, it was not going to be easy. The ball was placed a yard outside the box. Buchtmann stepped up and gently lofted the ball over an unmoved wall. The grounded Rensing watched as the ball nestled to his left. The visitors now 2-1 up.
The game essentially concluded with Bouhaddouz ending up on the score sheet. A tired and depleted team failed to pick up the Moroccan, who was lingering between the broken back line. he had the time to look up and tip the ball over a fleeing Rensing, who had left his net. The easiest goal of the night, coming in the 93rd minute. A frustrated and crumbled Fortuna had lost the affair 1-3. A bizarre last 30 minutes. One which St Pauli certainly cherished a lot more than their opponents. 3 very, very important points being returned to Hamburg.
Philipp Heerwagen - 7.4/10
Not a lot to do in the first half. Most of his involvement consisted of keeping possession at the back. Not one shot required the veteran goalkeeper's input. Only one real chance in the first 45 minutes threatening St Pauli, however, the shot was lifted over the bar by Fortuna's Fink. The last 45 was equally as quiet, other than the conceded goal. Nothing he could do, as it was a well-struck volley.
- INDIVIDUAL PLAYER SCORES
Philipp Ziereis - 8.6/10
A great game for the 24 year old who actually played at right-back. He passed well, both to fellow centre-halves, up the line or central. It was a great goal which was scored by him to make it 1-1, a controlled strike, with sufficient power meant it was practically unstoppable. Strong on the ball, the Fortuna forwards' were kept quiet for most of the game.
Soren Gonther - 7.8/10
Again, another quality performance in the defensive line. Him and Sobiech had an almost perfect 90 minutes. Similar to Ziereis, he had a big role in spreading the ball through the team from the back. Gonther worked well cohesively with the equally experienced Sobiech, both eradicating any chance of a threat coming from the offence. However, he did lose his marker, allowing Hoffmann to score the first goal of the game. A simple lapse of concentration on a set-piece. Fortunately, Gonther made amends for it as he headed the assist for the equalising goal.
Lasse Sobiech - 7.6/10
A very traditional centre-half performance from the captain. All game he battled both in the air and on the ground. He flicked on the free-kick from Sobota to Gonther, which then consequently lead to Ziereis scoring St Pauli's first goal of the game. Sobiech did what was required of him throughout the game. Not many notable moments, but his presence was valued highly all the way to the final whistle.
Jeremy Dudziak - 4.5/10
(Daniel Buballa - 6.8/10 - Not a lot worth noting, other than the assist he gained for Bouhaddouz, a wonderfully executed pass)
Dudziak was replaced coming up to half time as it appeared he had injured his shoulder. This almost lead to St Pauli conceding. It may sound harsh to criticize him for this, but he practically dangled a carrot for Fortuna, as he took far too long on the ball. Dudziak was the last man, but luckily his mistake wasn't cashed in, as the opportunity was blown. The young German just appeared slack at times and not of his usual standard.
Johannes Flum - 6.3/10
(Bernd Nehrig - N/A)
*Flum then later on replaced by Thy (Thy - N/A)
Sadly, Nehrig came off after only a couple of minutes following a nasty collision with Fortuna's Akpoguma. Hopefully, both have a speedy recovery. Flum didn't have much of a role to be honest, other than to control and sweep up the middle of the pitch. Him and Buchtmann had worked well but the majority of Fortuna's offensive pressure was on the counter-attack or played through the channels, meaning Flum didn't have a lot of involvement with him featuring in the middle. Nonetheless, an average game for the substitute.
Christopher Buchtmann - 8.6/10
The midfield maestro had a very pleasing game. Firstly, his free-kick was perfect, it was both a mixture of the wall not jumping (which is understandable seeing as the free kick was only about 19 yards out) and his great technique. A wonderfully taken chance. Throughout the game he played in Sobota, Sahin and Bouhaddouz with ease, dictating the play. Earlier on this season I have wanted Buchtmann to add a bit of extra bite and desire to his game, he certainly delivered that in this fixture.
Cenk Sahin - 8.5/10
My player of the season so far didn't disappoint against Fortuna either. He didn't make it to the score sheet and he wasn't as active when pacing down the wings like he usually does. He forced 2 fouls which lead to both players being dismissed from play. His pace was godlike, as he left both Bodzek and Hoffmann left for dead. He still had his moments out wide, they weren't as significant, but he definitely posed a threat as usual. More importantly were the 2 players he removed from the game. His touch past Hoffmann and acceleration was incredible.
Waldemar Sobota - 8.1/10
Sobota was influencial in this game. The Pole delivered the ball which lead to St Pauli's equaliser. Not only that, but he could have had another assist to his name as a pin-point cross found Bouhaddouz unattended in the box. Unfortunately, the Moroccan couldn't convert. A great ball, which was certainly worth mentioning. Again, some great link up play throughout the 90 minutes, damaging on the attack and full of energy all game.
Mats Moller Daehli - 7.6/10
Daehli had a really good run out. Unfortunately, nothing in particular that really impacted on the game, but he chased everything. Putting pressure on the 2 centre-halves and not giving up on seemingly lost chances, the young Norwegian played a massive indirect role. His passing was superb and as usual, his creativity and tight dribbling tired the opponents. It was a shame he didn't get an assist or goal, but I think his teammates and fans praised his efforts.
Aziz Bouhadouz - 6.9/10
I know, he scored a goal. I may be slightly harsh on the target-man's score, but I do feel that he sometimes (and in this game especially) should be putting more chances away. We're not talking half-chances either, there was the cross from Sobota (as mentioned) which was praying to be slotted in, it didn't even hit the target. I can't deny, he finished his goal well, but they should be bread and butter opportunities for front-men of his quality. I appreciate Bouhaddouz' effort as the single man up top, but that early chance should have been taken.
No comments:
Post a Comment