Kult & Punk: Lights go out on Bundesliga as season shuts down at the Mainz

The boys report from FSV Mainz, as St Pauli head towards 2 Bundesliga. Kult & Punk would like to thank you for following St Pauli's efforts in trying to keep in the big time. We thank all who visited us at Zoe's Bar. Thanks to all the darts teams who came and all thosee who challenged us on the 'sit down' space invaders. Finally a big thank you to Andy James, without who you would have missed more match reports, thanks to heavy guest ales.   Have a good summer break.  We will be back with Kult & Punk 2, in September.


1. FSV Mainz 05 2-1 FC St. Pauli


A game of departures for both teams ended with Mainz edging victory to seal fifth place in the table at the end of the club's most successful season ever.

For FSV, it was their final competitive game in the Stadion am Bruchweg, while for the visitors it was the final game in the Bundesliga, for another season at the least. St. Pauli at any rate had the consolation of bowing out with a decent performance, in the wake of last weekend's 8-1 home drubbing by FC Bayern.

Advantage St. Pauli

Mainz, who by contrast had already wrapped up their place in the Europa League with victory at Schalke on Matchday 33, started brightly and with nine minutes played Andreas Ivanschitz rattled the visitors' bar with a header. A further effort wide by Ivanschitz ten minutes later was FSV's only other chance of note though before St. Pauli started carving out opportunities of their own.

Fin Bartels was foiled at close range by home keeper Christian Wetklo (21'), while Max Kruse squandered a couple of excellent openings on the break. Thus, it was little surprise when the Hamburg outfit did then go in front in the 42nd minute. Marius Ebbers shrugged off three opponents before cutting the ball back for Matthias Lehmann to finish with a low drive into the corner.

Last goal at the Bruchweg goes to Allagui

Mainz started to make a bit of headway again in the early stages of the second half, with St. Pauli goalie Thomas Kessler at full stretch to turn a Lewis Holtby shot round the post in the 54th minute. Four minutes later, the hosts were back on level terms, courtesy of a dubious penalty for a tackle by Fabio Morena on sub Sami Allagui. Andre Schürrle duly slammed home his 15th goal of the season from the spot.

A revitalised Mainz then upped the tempo further, Schürrle pulling two more fine stops out of Kessler (68', 81'). St. Pauli had certainly not given up the ghost though and remained a constant threat on the counter-attack. In the end however, victory was to go to Thomas Tuchel's troops, the winner falling in the 82nd minute. Schürrle freed up Marcel Risse, fres off the bench, and he ploughed down the right before playing in a ball to the far post that required only the simplest of tap-ins from Allagui.

Sports Pulse would like to thank Kult & Punk and also Andy James for their help in this feature. We are delighted they have agreed to do it all again next season.