If anyone around the Millerntor in St. Pauli hadn’t realized it already, it became crystal clear by 8:30 p.m. at the latest: today’s match between FC St. Pauli and 1. FC Köln is about nothing less than everything in the relegation battle.
The scheduled kickoff had to be quickly forgotten, as fans from both sides set off plenty of pyrotechnics, and the stadium was soon so full of smoke that clear visibility could no longer be guaranteed.
So the players kept themselves warm on the pitch, and after a delay of around five minutes, referee Matthias Jöllenbeck finally blew the whistle to start this hugely significant match.
Even after kickoff, the fans immediately showed with loud chants that they were there and ready to roar their team on to all three points if necessary.
The Köln supporters even followed it up with a choreographed display in the away end.
Now it’s up to the professionals to turn that support into performance out on the pitch.
While Effzeh could take a big step toward survival today, St. Pauli has the chance to cut the gap to Köln to two points and move out of the relegation playoff spot (for the time being).
What do you think — who will come out on top in this relegation showdown? Feel free to write it in the comments!
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
