Sebastian Kerk scored the only goal of the game late in the first half as Hannover moved out of the drop zone with a 1-0 win at home to St. Pauli on Matchday 6.

Hannover 1-0 St. Pauli
Goal: 1-0 Kerk (39’)

Hannover started the day second from bottom, while Pauli were third, but it was the Bundesliga 2 strugglers who looked the better side at the HDI Arena. Maximilian Beier had the best chance of the half inside 10 minutes when he met a cross to the far post with his head, but was denied by a good reaction stop from Nikola Vasilj. The visitors saw a lot of the ball but the Reds continued to create the better of the goalscoring opportunities. Linton Maina fired over from the left of the box before Sebastian Kerk – an early substitute for the injured Mike Frantz – fizzed an effort wide from 18 yards. The home side finally got the goal they deserved with half-time looming. Lukas Hinterseer was denied by Vasilj at the far post, but he could only parry the ball back into the six-yard box for Kerk to tap home.

Die Kiezkicker seemed to wake up for the second half and put Hannover under pressure to defend their lead. Top scorer Guido Burgstaller failed to get on the end of a low cross but was then involved at a corner, heading the ball back into the danger area from deep before Jakov Medic headed over. Substitute Christopher Bachtmann then almost had an immediate impact when he forced Ron-Robert Zieler into a smart stop low to his left. Linton Maina came close to doubling the lead and wrapping things up early when he outfoxed both Pauli centre-backs but saw his effort bound for the corner of the goal tipped around the post by Vasilj. Medic came close to making Hannover pay in the final 10 minutes when he again reacted quickest to a second ball at a corner, but this time he could only head against the crossbar as the visitors ultimately failed to find a way through.

Sebastian Kerk scored his first Hannover goal as they beat St. Pauli. - Frederic Scheidemann/Getty Images

Match stats

• Kerk scored his first goal for Hannover. He got 10 with Osnabrück last season.
• Hannover maintained their strong record in this fixture and have now won 16 out of 33 encounters in Bundesliga 2.
• Hannover beat Pauli 1-0 for the fifth time, making that the most common scoreline in this match-up.
• Hoffenheim loanee Beier contested the most challenges of all players at the time of his substitution. He also had two shots.
• H96 got only their third win in their last 11 home games across multiple seasons in Bundesliga 2.
• 2014 FIFA World Cup winner Zieler kept his second clean sheet of the campaign.

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Line-ups

Hannover: Zieler - Dehm, Franke (c), Börner, Hult (Kranjc 85’) – Frantz (Kerk 8’) - Maina (Ochs 84’), Ernst, Ondoua - Hinterseer, Beier (Stolze 72’)
Unused subs: Hansen, Muroya, Kaiser, Muslija, Weydandt
Out: Evina (muscular)
Coach: Jan Zimmermann

Pauli: Vasilj - Wieckhoff, Medic, Lawrence (c), Paqarada (Dittgen 78’) – Becker (Buchtmann 63’), Aremu (Irvine 63’), Hartel - Kyereh - Burgstaller, Makienok (Benatello 46’)
Unused subs: Smarsch, Beifus, Ritzka, Dzwigala, Knoll
Out: Amenyido (Achilles' tendon), Avevor (ankle), Daschner (knee), Ohlsson (hamstring), Ziereis (unconfirmed)
Coach: Timo Schultz

Matchday 6 round-up

Ingolstadt 0-3 Werder Bremen
Goals: 0-1 Antonitsch (og 24’), 0-2 Weiser (42’), 0-3 Ducksch (49’)

Bremen made it three wins from six as they look to secure an immediate top-flight return. Die Grünweißen dominated promoted Ingolstadt but only went ahead thanks to an own goal when Nico Antonitsch diverted Niklas Schmidt’s cross past his own goalkeeper. Two summer singings then secured the three points. First, Mitchell Weiser fired home shortly before half-time after a solo run down the right. The result was then put beyond any doubt shortly after the restart when Marvin Ducksch nodded home a rebounded shot. Ingolstadt remain in the bottom two with just four points and a -10 goal difference.

Karlsruhe 2-2 Holstein Kiel
Goals: 1-0 Choi (39’), 1-1 Mees (78’), 1-2 Bartels (80’), 2-2 Hofmann (88’)

There was late drama at the BBBank Wildpark with three goals scored in the final 12 minutes as Kiel came from behind but then threw away their lead against Karlsruhe. Kyoung-Rok Choi had put the hosts ahead before half-time when he latched onto Philipp Hofmann’s diagonal long ball. Things then burst to life late in the second half. Hofmann missed a chance to double the advantage before Joshua Mees headed in an equaliser moments after he’d put a similar effort over. The visitors then took the lead only seconds later when Fin Bartels turned home Alexander Mühling’s cross. Things weren’t over yet, though, as Hofmann made amends for his earlier miss with a finish on his weaker right foot two minutes from time. Further chances came but neither side was able to take advantage. Karlsruhe move onto nine points with their third draw of the season, while Kiel now have five points on the board.

Hamburg 2-1 Sandhausen
Goals: 1-0 Kinsombi (pen, 74’), 1-1 Bachmann (88’), 2-1 Heyer (90’+6)
Red card: Ritzmaier (73’)

HSV claimed all three points in the most dramatic fashion with a winner deep into added time against Sandhausen at the Volksparkstadion in Saturday’s late game. The hosts dominated proceedings with 27 shots to nine but failed to convert any chances until late on, when the action really started. Erik Zenga caught Sonny Kittel in the box to earn Hamburg a penalty inside the last 20 minutes. Marcel Ritzmaier was then shown a second yellow for unsporting behaviour after he was caught by referee Bastian Dankert damaging the spot with his boot. David Kinsombi eventually converted, but the 10-man visitors then began to fight back and equalised in the 88th minute when an unmarked Janik Bachmann fired home Christian Conteh’s ball into the centre after a superb run down the left. HSV searched desperately for a final response and eventually found it in the sixth minute of added time when a cross came through to Moritz Heyer at the far post. He controlled it and slotted it away for Die Rothosen’s first home win of the season at the third attempt and end a four-match winless run.

Paderborn 0-1 Schalke
Goals: 0-1 Terodde (63')

Sven Michel and Marius Bülter spurned early chances, before Michel made Ralf Fährmann work late in a keenly contested first half. Schalke turned the screw after the restart as Jannik Huth did just enough to keep out a Thomas Ouwejan free-kick. Further openings fell the way of Simon Terodde and Darko Churlinov, but neither could land their headers on target. Terodde made his next chance count, though, converting from close range after a fine run and cross from Bülter. Substitute Kai Pröger was denied a late leveller by Fährmann as the Royal Blues recorded their third win of the season, climbing to within three points of the summit as a result.

Erzgebirge Aue 0-1 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Goals: 0-1 Hennings (29')

Aue's search for a first win of the campaign goes on following a narrow home loss to Fortuna Düsseldorf. It could have turned out so much differently had Bayern Munich II loanee Niklas Kühn not fired straight at Fortuna goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier from an unmarked position just 15 seconds in. Rouwen Hennings made no such mistake just short of the half-hour mark, the veteran breaking the deadlock with a bit of help from Aue stopper Martin Männel. Fortuna's Ao Tanaka had a goal ruled out soon after, before Antonio Mance forced a strong save from Kastenmeier at the other end. Kristoffer Peterson and Khaled Narey spurned the best chances of the second half, but their profligacy went unpunished as Aue's winless start to 2021/22 reached six matches.

Jahn Regensburg 2-2 Nuremberg
Goals: 0-1 Tempelmann (19'), 1-1 Besuschkow (38'), 2-1 Wekesser (53'), 2-2 Dovedan (79’)
Red card: Schäffler (89’)

Regensburg stay top of the table, despite letting slip a 2-1 lead against Bavarian rivals Nuremberg. The early-season pacesetters fell behind to a Lino Tempelmann goal, but flipped the game on its head through Max Besuschkow and Erik Wekesser - the latter sinking a quite brilliant free-kick. Christian Mathenia kept Nuremberg in the game with a string of excellent saves, before Nikola Dovedan made the most of a mistake by Regensburg keeper Alexander Meyer to level. Both sides had chances to decide an absorbing encounter, which ended on a somewhat sour note. With a minute of normal time remaining, Nuremberg substitute Manuel Schäffler was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Konrad Faber.

Heidenheim 2-1 Dynamo Dresden
Goals: 1-0 Mohr (5’), 1-1 Löwe (51’), 2-1 Leipertz (90’)

Heidenheim returned to winning ways, courtesy of a last-gasp Robert Leipertz goal against Dynamo Dresden. Sebastian Mai gifted the hosts the lead inside five minutes, when he misplaced a pass straight to Tobias Mohr, who made no mistake with his finish. Chris Löwe levelled soon after the restart, profitting from Marvin Rittmüller's slip. Heidenheim played with the greater attacking threat as Kevin Broll pulled off a sensational reacton save to prevent a Christoph Daferner own goal. The Dynamo custodian was beaten for a second time in the 90th minute, though, as Leipertz turned home on the rebound after substitute Stefan Schimmer's header had come back off the woodwork.

Hansa Rostock 2-1 Darmstadt
Goals: 1-0 Verhoek (19’), 1-1 Kempe (pen. 66’), 2-1 Fröde (86’)

There was no shortage of drama in Rostock, either. Hansa's John Verhoek set the tone with the opening goal in the 19th minute, but not before Markus Kolke's crucial save from Luca Pfeiffer and Lukas Fröde's goal-line clearance from Lasse Sobiech. Streli Mamba flunked a glorious opening to extend Rostock's lead - Bremen loanee Benjamin Goller could do no better for Darmstadt with the first meaningful opening of the second period. Tobias Kempe levelled from the penalty spot with little over 20 minutes remaining, but it was Hansa who found another gear in the closing stages. After chances came and went for Nik Omladic and Ridge Munsy, Karlsruher-owned Fröde powered in a winner from a corner to lift Hansa three points above the relegation zone.

About the clubs

Hannover 96

Heinz von Heiden Arena

FC St. Pauli

Millerntor-Stadion