FC St. Pauli secured a key home victory on the seventh matchday of the 2. Bundesliga. Marcel Rapp's side defeated Karlsruher SC 2-0 on October 11th, climbing to seventh place in the standings.
Abdoulie Ceesay put the team ahead in the 32nd minute following work from Connor Metcalfe. Shortly after the break, in the 52nd minute, Lars Ritzka sealed the win with a goal assisted by Eric Smith. "Ben Voll told me this morning he had a feeling I would score," the goalscorer said afterwards.
Rapp praises first half
Head coach Marcel Rapp was pleased with the performance, especially in the opening period. "Particularly in the first half it was one of our better games, we were able to create a lot of chances," he analysed. The team was efficient despite having only 36 percent possession and allowed the opposition few clear opportunities. Goalkeeper Ben Voll only had to make one important save to preserve the clean sheet.
The win solidifies the positive trend of recent weeks. St. Pauli is now unbeaten in its last five league games, with two wins and three draws. With ten points from seven matches, the team has moved into the upper half of the table. Top scorer this season remains Abdoulie Ceesay, who netted his third goal of the campaign against Karlsruhe.
Focus on Hannover
The next challenge awaits immediately on the following matchday. St. Pauli travels to face Hannover 96, who currently sit in 13th place. Another positive result could push the team even higher. For Karlsruher SC, who remain second from bottom after the defeat, a home game against Darmstadt offers a chance for much-needed points.
Maximilian Senft's side had a higher expected goals tally of 1.02 to 0.36 but failed to convert their opportunities. A disputed foul on Marcel Franke and a yellow card for Branimir Hrgota were other minor incidents in the match. St. Pauli now heads into preparation for the clash in Lower Saxony with boosted confidence.
First reported at fcstpauli.com
