PLAYER SCORES - St. Pauli - MSV Duisburg
FORMATION: 4-2-3-1
Here's how the Starting XI lined up...GK- Himmelmann
RB- Zander
RCB- Sobiech
LCB - Sobiech
LB- Buballa
RM- Sahin
RCM- Flum
LCM- Nehrig
LM- Sobota
CF- Allagui
ST- Bouhaddouz
#30 - Himmelmann - 7.0 RATING
Not a tremendous amount to do throughout the game for the first choice keeper. A notable save towards the end of the game kept St. Pauli ahead with twenty minutes to go. A couple of firm and commanding punches were all that was asked of the 28 year old goalkeeper. A fairly neutral performance.
#19 - Zander - 7.8 RATING
The Werder Bremen II loanee had a fairly impressive game. The 22 year old full-back started out wide, looking to progresss down the right. The first quarter of the game he was forced to pass back to Himmelmann, turning towards goal a handful of times. When confidence grew, the right back looked to progress. Three or four really nice crosses were whipped in only to find nobody. Sadly, the forwards nowhere to be seen. He did contribute to St. Pauli's first goal. One of those crosses did find Sahin at the back post. The Turk nodded into space where Sobota lurked. Zander, an important addition to the game.
#3 Sobiech - 8.3 RATING
The sturdy centre-half was heavily involved in the first fifteen minutes of the game. Lots of short and long range passes which met their targets more often than not. Careful on the ball and clean with his tackles, it was a classic Sobiech performance early on. The towering defender stepped up to take the penalty, won by Allagui. A firm, right footed strike blistered past the keeper. He could have had a finger pointed at him when Duisburg made it 2-2 though, as neither Sobiech or Avevor successfully cleared the seemingly straight forward cross, which was lofted into the box. Either way, possibly the best player on the pitch.
#6 Avevor - 7.6 RATING
Barely putting a foot wrong all day, Sobiech's partner was happy to sweep up in the back third. He didn't rush into anything and remained collected both with the ball and without. A really clean and tidy performance allowed his teammates to relax and feel confident playing the ball around him. Again, whether Avevor or Sobiech are partially to blame for the equalising goal? I'm not too sure.
#15 - Buballa - 7.1 RATING
The left back didn't have the busiest game. A few concise and solid challenges prevented Duisburg at times and definitely helped pin them back. A lovely slalom through the Duisburg back-line eventually lead up to the penalty which was in the end won by Allagui. The winding gallop into the box causing mayhem for a tiring defence.
#22 - Sahin - 6.2 RATING
Possibly one of his quietest games. I found him several times floating between the front three. He never really got involved as much as you'd like, and consequently lost himself in the game. I think Sahin really likes to play as the left or right forward on a arrow-head style attack. The Turk seemed a little suppressed, which didn't give him the freedom or direct style of play which he craves. A little too quiet in this fixture.
#23 - Flum - 7.5 RATING
Maybe a tad underappreciated by me? Or perhaps overshadowed by a sterling Nehrig performance? I'm not too sure but the partnership of the two worked well. A weird comparison, but I saw him playing similar to Matic at Manchester United. A crucial block in the first half definitely prevented an earlier Duisburg lead. The right place at the right time. Simple yet passes, and never giving too much away.
#7 (c) - Nehrig - 8.1 RATING
I have to admit, I've never truly appreciated Nehrig. I've found him frustrating to watch, with clumsy fouls and reckless passing he came across as a bit brash. In this game though he really battled throughout. The captain's positioning was perfect as he never lost concentration. Some really admirable tracking back allowed others to not have to fill in the middle of the park. A very important and brave low headed clearance in the twenty-seventh minute highlighted his commitment as a leader. A kick to the head wouldn't have been pleasant. An honourable performance, in my opinion.
#28 - Sobota - 7.8 RATING
It took the Polish winger a while to get into the game. The opening twenty minutes were very quiet, as chances came few and far between. With the lack of Daehli in the midfield, it was more than likely up to the 30 year old to create chances. It took a while, but Sobota found himself open in the box as a slack Duisburg defence offered a chance for St. Pauli to equalise. A firm fifty-seventh minute strike to the roof of the net from 8 yards out levelled the scoreline. After that, Sobota enjoyed his role slightly freer, and offered a lot more.
#11 - Allagui - 5.7 RATING
Maybe a tad harsh, but I felt the Tunisian international offered very little in the game. Once again, I believed that the centre-forward looked lost and frustrated. A handful of opportunities came to Allagui, allowing him to play the all-important pass in the final third, but he simply couldn't succeed more than often. He gambled in order to win the penalty, but even that was debatable as to whether the referee awarded the correct decision. Frequently looking weak and tired, it was a difficult watch. Allagui was substituted in the 86th minute by Schneider. It could have been a lot earlier.
#9 - Bouhaddouz - 5.3 RATING
One of the worst performances in a while for the target-man. Duisburg's number 6, Nauber was fantastic in snubbing out anything the Moroccan went for. A great aerial battle in the first half. A frustrated Bouhaddouz at times gave the impression he wanted the ball played to his feet, as he was clearly having no luck in the air. Bouhaddouz was also (I'm putting this very loosely) to blame for giving away the penalty. A very delicate push into the back of Lukas Frรถde forced the referee to call it. A very harsh decision indeed. thirty-two minutes in and more bad luck fell to the already livid Bouhaddouz. Some words exchanged with the referee handed him a caution. In the thirty-ninth minute he was given the opportunity to have a chance at goal. With no imminent threat and being just 12 yards out, the ball was bizarrely passed into danger instead of driven low and hard into the corner of the goal. An absurd choice to say the least. In the sixty-eighth minute it was the end for Bouhaddouz as he was shown a red card. A water bottle squirt to the face of an opponent was picked up by the fourth official. Antics enough to warrant a straight red after a discussion with the referee. An early shower welcomed, after a really terrible day at the office for the Moroccan international.
The game finished 2-2. A really interesting debut for newly appointed manager, Markus Kauczinski. The three points were there for the taking, but the hosts had to settle for just the one. A vast improvement to previous weeks, especially noting the loss of Buchtmann and Daehli to injury in the days arriving to this game. The fight was evident, sadly a poor refereeing performance and attacking display let us down.
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