FC St. Pauli missed the chance for a second win of the season in their away match at Energie Cottbus. Marcel Rapp's side were held to a 1-1 draw last weekend, leaving them in eighth place in the 2. Bundesliga with seven points from six games. This points tally from the opening six matches means the team could not build on their recent form, which had included an important 1-0 home win against Wolfsburg.
The hosts took the lead in the 37th minute through Justin Butler, assisted by Moritz Hannemann. St. Pauli equalised only ten minutes from time when Martijn Kaars scored following a pass from Ricky-Jade Jones. The team had hoped to follow up the victory over Wolfsburg with another three points to establish themselves in mid-table.
Before the match, coach Marcel Rapp expressed great respect for Cottbus boss Claus-Dieter Wollitz, who led the club back into the second division. "We're expecting a heated atmosphere and a team that plays bravely and passionately going forward," said Rapp. "But we're used to that. We have good support, the block is full, and we want to give our fans an away win again."
In the starting lineup, Tomoya Ando returned to central defence in place of Lars Ritzka. Branimir Hrgota and Marcus Mathisen were back in the squad after injury, while Mathias Pereira Lage and Gísli Thórdarson remained unavailable. The team must now improve their points tally in the coming matches. St. Pauli's next fixture is at home against 14th-placed Karlsruher SC on October 10th, a side currently on just five points from six games.
First reported at sports.yahoo.com
