FC St. Pauli

Markus Kauczinski’s team dictated the play from the off against the Austrian second division outfit. Sami Allagui had the first of a string of chances in the opening stages with just three minutes gone. Waldemar Sobota then hit the post and from the rebound Mats Møller Dæhli was denied by a brilliant save from Liefering goalkeeper Daniel Antosch. Next, Marvin Knoll drove a free-kick narrowly off target from 25 metres.

A goal had been coming and in the 19^th minute it finally arrived, Møller Dæhli netting with a lob over Antosch after some neat link-up play to give his side a deserved 1-0 lead. The Boys in Brown continued to press but were thwarted in their bid to add a second goal before the break, first by the Liefering custodian on 31 and then by the outside of the post three minutes later. Robin Himmelmann was called into action just once in the first period, though Mohamed Camara’s 36^th minute shot posed no problems.

With that, the St. Pauli stopper’s work for the day was done, as Philipp Heerwagen took over between the posts in the second half. Kauczinski also sent out three fresh outfield players in Finn-Ole Becker, Richard Neudecker and Jan-Marc Schneider for Christopher Buchtmann, Mats Møller Dæhli and Waldemar Sobota.

The game was a more evenly matched contest after the restart until Sami Allagui doubled his side’s advantage with a fine solo effort on 58, seizing on a mishit backpass to bear down on goal and finish clinically. That was to prove the striker’s final intervention, as he, Florian Carstens and Marvin Knoll immediately made way for Aziz Bouhaddouz, Jakob Münzner and Bernd Nehrig.

Liefering worked hard to put a more respectable sheen on the scoreline and were denied by Heerwagen on 65. Kauczinski continued to ring the changes, however, introducing Clemens Schoppenhauer, Cenk Sahin and Luis Coordes for Christopher Avevor, Daniel Buballa and Ersin Zehir. And Sahin it was who put the game to bed nine minutes from time after a wonderful passing move involving Becker, Schneider and Neudecker.

“That was pretty good all in all,” said a satisfied Markus Kauczinski afterwards. “We could well have scored more had we taken our chances. After the substitutions we lost our momentum for ten minutes, but we found our feet again and played well. At the back we allowed them just one shot all game. Liefering coach Gerhard Struber also had words of praise for the St. Pauli performance, saying: “Today we went up against really tough opponents with lots of experience and resilience on a level we’re not accustomed to.”

FC St. Pauli

Himmelmann (Heerwagen 46’) – Park, Carstens (Nehrig 59’), Avevor (Schoppenhauer 70’), Buballa (Coordes 80’) – Knoll (Münzner 59’), Zehir (Sahin 70’), Buchtmann (Neudecker 46’), Sobota (Becker 46’), Dæhli (Schneider 46’) – Allagui (Bouhaddouz 59’)

Head coach: Markus Kauczinski

FC Liefering

Antosch – Gazibegovic, Barry (Oroz 46’), Stumberger, Schnegg (Leskosek 37’) – Camara (Stosic 46’), Sturm (Anselm 70’), Diakite (Pokorny 46’), Kim (Tekir 46’) – Aganovic, Niangbo (Adeyemi 46’)

Head coach: Gerhard Struber

Goals: 1-0 Dæhli (19’), 2-0 Allagui (58’), 3-0 Sahin (81’)

Photos: Witters