Kickers Emden vs FC St. Pauli — Match Details | Betmana

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FC St. Pauli

FC St. Pauli came from behind to beat Kickers Emden 3-1 in a pre-season friendly, with Haron Sabah scoring 23 seconds into the second half to turn the game.

Match Videos

LIVE: Kickers Emden - FC St. Pauli (Testspiel)

Match Analysis

AI Summary

How it unfolded

St. Pauli started brightly with Scott Banks forcing a save from Luca Pertzold inside the first seven minutes and Hara drawing another stop from six metres soon after. But against the run of play, Kickers Emden struck first. Michael Igwe powered down the right flank and picked out Ihorst, who stabbed home from close range at the near post to make it 1-0 in the 13th minute.

The hosts nearly doubled their lead when Bent Andresen fired over after a half-cleared corner, and former St. Pauli U23 striker Theo Schröder also missed the target from inside the area.

St. Pauli regrouped and equalised on 28 minutes. Marcus Mathisen launched a long ball forward to Louis Oppie, who drove into the box and laid it across for Hara to sweep first time into the bottom-right corner — his third goal in two pre-season outings after his brace against Altona 93.

Manager Marcel Rapp made a double substitution on the half-hour mark, introducing Marwin Schmitz and U23 forward Haron Sabah for Manolis Saliakas and Ricky-Jade Jones. Emden nearly regained the lead six minutes before the break when Ihorst slipped Nick Stepantsev through, but Ben Voll made a sharp reaction save. The half ended 1-1.

The turning point

Rapp made wholesale changes at half-time, with only Voll, Schmitz and Sabah who had entered earlier remaining on the pitch. The shake-up worked instantly. After just 23 seconds of the second half, Sabah gave St. Pauli the lead. Mathias Rasmussen spread play wide to Erik Ahlstrand on the left, and his cross found Sabah, who beat Pertzold at the second attempt after his initial effort was saved.

It was the perfect start to the half and completely shifted the momentum. Emden, who had matched St. Pauli in the first period, could not recover.

Key performers

Haron Sabah (FC St. Pauli) – The U23 forward's instant impact off the bench and then from the start of the second half was decisive. He scored the crucial 46th-minute goal that turned the game and had two further chances late on, though both were dragged wide.

Taichi Hara (FC St. Pauli) – Continued his prolific pre-season form with the equaliser on 28 minutes, taking his tally to three goals in two friendlies. His movement caused constant problems for the Emden defence.

Erik Ahlstrand (FC St. Pauli) – The wide man created two goals after the break, providing the cross for Sabah's winner and then the excellent delivery that Kaars headed home for the third.

Luca Pertzold (Kickers Emden) – The home goalkeeper made several fine saves to keep the scoreline respectable, including stops from Banks, Hara, Sam Klein and Kaars before being replaced with 20 minutes left.

Player of the match: Haron Sabah

By the numbers — interpreted

While the provider data records only shots on target and goals, the match narrative reveals a tale of two halves. Emden were competitive in the first period, scoring with their first real chance and creating other openings through Ihorst and Stepantsev. But St. Pauli's second-half dominance — they pinned Emden back and created a steady stream of chances — meant the 3-1 margin was a fair reflection of the balance of play over 90 minutes. The hosts managed only that 13th-minute breakthrough and a handful of half-chances after it.

What it means

For FC St. Pauli, this is a second pre-season victory after the 6-2 demolition of Altona 93, offering encouraging signs as they build towards the 2026-27 Bundesliga campaign. The return of Ben Voll in goal and the sharp form of Hara and Sabah provide useful selection headaches for Rapp. The Bundesliga side were without World Cup participants Jackson Irvine, Connor Metcalfe and Eric Smith, plus rehabbing Mathias Pereira Lage and injured duo Adam Dźwigała and Jannik Robatsch.

Kickers Emden, who finished eighth in Regionalliga Nord last season, showed they could live with a top-flight opponent for 45 minutes but ultimately lacked the depth to sustain it.

Verdict

A deserved win built on a second-half response that emphasised St. Pauli's greater fitness and depth. The first 45 minutes were a useful check for Rapp's side — Emden competed well and exposed some defensive looseness. But the speed and decisiveness of the response, particularly Sabah's goal 23 seconds after the restart, showed the kind of ruthlessness St. Pauli will need in the Bundesliga.