Kult & Punk: St Pauli left deep in the relegation zone after another defeat.

The season has fizzled out after last weeks incident leaves a sour taste in the mouth of true St Pauli fans.  Kult & Punk watched as the club stayed locked in the relegation zone after another away defeat.  There is still time, but with the next match behind closed doors it will be an uphill struggle.

Leverkusen - Bayer 04 Leverkusen narrowed the gap on league leaders Borussia Dortmund to just five points on Sunday evening after coming behind to beat relegation-threatened FC St. Pauli 2-1 at the BayArena.

Die Werkself were the superior outfit for the majority but were handed a shock as Charles Takyi put the visitors in front shortly before the hour. However, the title hopefuls remained confident in their abilities and deservedly equalised through Stefan Kießling before improving their chances of an automatic Champions League place with Lars Bender's late winner.

Injuries hamper the guests

Leverkusen boss Jupp Heynckes was forced to bring in reserve keeper Fabian Giefer for the ill Rene Adler, but otherwise the veteran tactician stuck with the side which won in Kaiserslautern last week, save for Stefan Kießling replacing Eren Derdiyok in attack. Such luxury remained a distant dream for St. Pauli chief Holger Stanislawski, who rang six changes owing to injury and otherwise.

Though the visitors created the first decent opening when Tayki chipped through for Matthias Lehmann with just five minutes gone, it was Leverkusen who unsurprisingly took a hold on proceedings. Still, aside from a couple of dangerous set-pieces, the favourites struggled to break town a focused St. Pauli defence.

Takyi-flavoured surprise

Sidney Sam's provided pace and creativity on the right, though it was on the other flank that Bayer fashioned their best chance of the half. Tranquillo Barnetta's smart footwork afforded him space to cross, but at the far post Arturo Vidal was unable to control his finish with time to pick his spot.

In the second half Leverkusen began too passively and were fortunate Deniz Naki's fierce volley was deflected behind by Rolfes, who himself was unable to control when substitute Gonzalo Castro picked him out free in the box at the other end. Such lapses were always open to punishment from a desperate St. Pauli side, yet still it came as a major surprise when Tayki finished off a move he started by steering in a Florian Bruns cross from the right.

Bender wins it for Bayer

Suddenly behind, Heynckes' home side realized they had to up the ante and swiftly switched gears with Vidal firing a low shot through the crowd that Pliquett parried. It was the only warning St. Pauli would get before the equaliser, which was diverted into the empty net on 66 minutes by Kießling after substitute Eren Derdiyok had combined superbly with Castro in the box before pulling back for the German striker.

The pressure continued as Leverkusen sought to turn the tables completely. Two piledrivers from Michael Ballack tested Pliquett to the maximum, but the St. Pauli shot-stopper was unable to keep his side in it minutes later as Bender slipped in to beat a sloppy offside trap, collecting Sam's incisive pass and slotting under the visiting goalkeeper despite pressure from Markus Thorandt. It knocked the life out of a devastated St. Pauli, who after that loss remain in the automatic relegation zone, behind 17th-placed VfL Wolfsburg on goal difference.

Line-ups:

Bayer: Giefer - Balitsch (Castro 46'), Schwaab, Reinartz, Kadlec (Derdiyok 60') - Vidal, Rolfes - Sam, Ballack, Barnetta (L. Bender 68') - Kießling

St. Pauli: Pliquett - Lechner, Thorandt, Eger, Gunesch - Boll (Sukuta-Pasu 79'), Lehmann - Bruns (Daube 72'), Takyi (Ebbers 84'), Naki - Asamoah

Goals: 0-1 Takyi (58'), 1-1 Kießling (66'), 2-1 L. Bender (77')

Thanks to our friend, Andy James, for the match report.