FC St. Pauli recorded their sixth draw of the season. Marcel Rapp's side were held to a goalless stalemate at relegation-threatened SV Darmstadt 98 on Friday evening, missing the chance to climb into the top half of the 2. Bundesliga table.
The match at the Böllenfalltor kicked off late at 6:33 pm after blue and white balloons from a Darmstadt fan display were cleared from the pitch. St. Pauli immediately took control, enjoying over 75 percent possession. Clear-cut chances were scarce, however, despite the visitors having more attempts. The hosts, who kept their first clean sheet of the season a week after a 4-0 loss at Karlsruhe, rarely troubled Nikola Vasilj's goal.
Rapp rings the changes at half-time
Coach Marcel Rapp reacted to the poor attacking display with a triple substitution at the break. Abdoulie Ceesay, Arkadiusz Pyrka and Mathias Rasmussen made way for Sam Klein, Adam Dzwigala and Martijn Kaars. "St. Pauli recorded their sixth draw of the season after a goalless encounter at relegation-threatened Darmstadt," Rapp said afterwards. "Five of those results came in their away fixtures as my side failed to convert their clear-cut chances on Friday."
The changes brought more energy but still no goal. Later, Ho-Jae Lee and Nicolas Verkooijen replaced Fynn Lakenmacher and Marco Richter. It was already St. Pauli's fourth goalless away draw this term. The result leaves the team seventh in the standings with 11 points from eight games, now 11 points behind leaders Hertha BSC.
The unbeaten run stretches to five matches, but four of those have been draws. Recent results paint a picture of a hard-to-beat yet blunt side: a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg was followed by four draws against Cottbus, Gladbach, Karlsruhe and Hannover, before this 0-0 in Darmstadt. This recent form over the last five matches means St. Pauli have averaged just 0.8 goals per game in that period. Top scorer Abdoulie Ceesay, who netted against Hannover, was kept quiet and remains on four goals for the campaign.
SV Darmstadt remain in the relegation zone with the single point, having lost just once at home this season. They face a midweek cup tie against Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg. For St. Pauli, the DFB-Pokal is already over after their first-round upset at third-tier RW Essen.
Attention now turns forward. Next Sunday at 1:30 pm, St. Pauli host the current second-placed side, 1. FC Nürnberg. A win at the Millerntor would be a significant statement in the race for the top spots.
First reported at Sportschau
Head coach Marcel Rapp confirmed his analysis of the goalless draw in Darmstadt on Saturday. "We had more possession and control but didn't create enough chances from it," he said. The coach admitted his team could have taken more from the game. The unbeaten run was extended to five matches, but with six draws from nine games now, finishing remains an issue. Defender Lars Ritzka demanded: "We have to work hard to have more clarity on the ball."
Manager Marcel Rapp called the 0-0 draw in Darmstadt "a mirror image of the season". He said: "We had superiority on the pitch, especially in the 2nd half. We made too little of it." The club also confirmed that the fit-again Marcus Mathisen replaced Erik Ahlstrand on the bench. The unbeaten run was extended to five games. St. Pauli are seventh with 12 points.
Manager Marcel Rapp confirmed his team's field dominance in the goalless draw in Darmstadt. "We had more possession and control but didn't create enough chances from it," said the coach. The unbeaten run was extended to six games. With 12 points from nine games, St. Pauli remain seventh in the 2. Bundesliga. The record: two wins, six draws, one loss.
Manager Marcel Rapp confirmed on Saturday that several recently established starters disappointed in the 0-0 draw in Darmstadt. The club is in 7th place with 12 points from nine games. The unbeaten run has been extended to six matches. Rapp said: "Several recently established starters disappointed." The record from the last five games is now 1W-4D-0L. On Sunday, St. Pauli hosts second-placed 1. FC Nürnberg.
Darmstadt coach Florian Kohfeldt praised his team after the 0-0 draw. "The most important thing was that we showed life. And we did that. That's why I'm proud of the team," he said. For effort and duels, he gave "ten out of ten" points. For the Lilies, it was their first clean sheet of the season. St. Pauli remains in 7th place with 12 points from nine games and hosts second-placed 1. FC Nürnberg on Sunday.
Darmstadt coach Florian Kohfeldt praised St. Pauli's Eric Smith after the 0-0 draw. "Smith is an exceptional player with the ball for this league," said Kohfeldt. The strong defence, in which Smith plays a role, has conceded only two goals in the last five matches. The unbeaten run now stands at five games. With 12 points, the club sits in seventh place.
