Kult & Punk: Hangover after the Hannover match. 96 Pitchers, still the pain.

Kult & Punk. certainly did have a hangover after the Hannover match.  They tore themselves away from the table Space Invader machine, recently installed in Zoes Bar, and headed to the game.  Hannover 96 maintained their push at the top of the Bundesliga, in their gallant attempt for next seasons European competitions.

FC St. Pauli 0-1 Hannover 96


After winning their previous two home games, St. Pauli suffered a setback in their bid for mid-table solidity, succumbing to a last-minute defeat against Hannover. For the 96ers, the result earned them another three points in their ongoing push for a place in European competition and best-ever Bundesliga finish.

The first half was a decidedly low-key affair, with both sides finding it difficult to attain any degree of fluency on a rutted surface at the Millerntor. In fact, Jan-Philipp Kalla, making his Bundesliga debut for St. Pauli at left back, had their only shot on target in the first half, albeit a harmless one in the 12th minute that was no trouble for Hannover keeper Ron-Robert Zieler. The 96ers matched that with a single, similarly ineffective effort of their own from Lars Stindl three minutes later.

Better late than never

There was little initial change in the quality of the proceedings after the interval, although neither team could be faulted for their commitment. A solo effort from Jan Schlaudraff, foiled by St. Pauli keeper Thomas Kessler on the hour mark, provided a rare creative highlight for the fans. With the game appearing to be inevitably heading for a scoreless draw, Sergio Pinto pulled a great save out of Kessler in the 87th minute with a piledriver from a 25-metre free kick. Pinto took the resultant corner and Christian Schulz met it at the near post to power home the header that gave Hannover all the points and left St. Pauli empty-handed on this occasion.