FC St. Pauli fought for a valuable point at Energie Cottbus with ten men. Marcel Rapp's team secured a 1:1 (0:1) draw on Saturday, showing tremendous resilience after an early red card for Tomoya Ando.

Ando sees red, Kaars strikes

The match took a decisive turn in the 20th minute when Ando received a second yellow card and was sent off. Playing with ten men, St. Pauli conceded the opening goal in the 38th minute through Justin Butler. The visitors defended doggedly thereafter and found their reward late on. In the 80th minute, substitute Martijn Kaars, set up by Ricky-Jade Jones, scored the deserved equaliser.

Head coach Marcel Rapp was proud of his team's effort after the final whistle. "After the red card it became difficult, but the lads defended superbly from that point on," said Rapp. "We earned the point." His Cottbus counterpart Pele Wollitz criticised his side's tempo after the break. "In the second half, much too slow play," Wollitz stated.

Security measures hold firm

The atmosphere inside the stadium was tense. St. Pauli fans whistled during the Cottbus anthem and chanted slogans. Some home supporters later attempted to storm the away block. The security concept held, however, preventing a more serious incident. Before kick-off, a large banner from the Cottbus fans read "Love your homeland and stand by Energie".

The point keeps St. Pauli in 10th place in the 2. Bundesliga. The team now has six points from five matches, with a goal difference of 7:7. The next fixture comes after the international break: on October 10th, FC St. Pauli host Karlsruher SC, who currently sit in 12th place.

St. Pauli's lineup featured goalkeeper Voll and defenders Pyrka, Nemeth and Oppie in a defensive setup. Smith, Niang, Rasmussen, Metcalfe and Fujita operated in midfield, with Abdoulie Ceesay leading the line. Rapp reacted to the numerical disadvantage with early substitutions. Kaars replaced Ceesay as early as the 58th minute. Later, Jones and Hara provided fresh legs. Nemeth picked up a yellow card in the 78th minute.

The point is an important psychological boost before the break. The team proved it can stick together in difficult circumstances. The next challenge awaits in three weeks at home. You can review the full squad and player stats in our squad overview.

First reported at tag24.de