Guido Burgstaller scored one and set up another in the first 10 minutes back at former club Nuremberg as St. Pauli won to move four points clear at the top of Bundesliga 2.

Nuremberg 2-3 St. Pauli
Goals: 0-1 Burgstaller 3’ (assist: Paqarada), 0-2 Paqarada 10’ (assist: Burgstaller), 1-2 Geis 21’ (assist: Krauß), 1-3 Dzwigala 64’, 2-3 Schäffler 72’ (assist: Möller Daehli)

Pauli had re-taken the lead in Bundesliga 2 during the week as they beat Sandhausen in a re-arranged fixture, and it took them only three minutes to forge ahead at the Max-Morlock-Stadion when former Nuremberg man Burgstaller was picked out by Leart Paqarada’s cross and he flicked his header inside the far post. The pair combined again but reversed roles only minutes later, as Burgstaller produced a nutmeg to roll the ball into the path of the left-back, who curled home on his right foot from 18 yards. Surprisingly, though, it was Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj who was busier, including a brilliant triple stop to deny Tim Handwerker, Manuel Schäffler and finally Erik Shuranov in the space of a few seconds. There was nothing he could do about Johannes Geis’ strike, however, as the former Schalke man took aim from 25 yards and fired the ball just under the crossbar to get the home side back into it.

Der Club came out for the second half pushing for that equaliser. Schäffler had a header blocked at the far post before Shuranov was denied by a perfect slide from Jackson Irvine just as he was about to pull the trigger in the area. It was against the run of play that the Bundesliga 2 leaders got their third when half-time substitute Adam Dzwigala – the other full-back – picked up the ball on the edge of the box and placed his shot into the far bottom corner for his first goal with the club. Daniel-Kofi Kyerah had the ball in the net again moments later, but the flag quickly went up for offside. It was then Nuremberg’s turn to strike back when Schäffler headed in Mats Möller Daehli’s corner with around 20 minutes to go. The Boys in Brown held on, though, to move four points clear of Darmstadt at the top. Nuremberg slip down to seventh but remain only four points off the third place.

Johannes Geis scored from around 25 yards out to get Nuremberg back in the game, but to no avail. - Sportfoto Zink / Daniel Marr via www.imago-images.de/imago images/Zink

Match stats

• Burgstaller marked his 100th Bundesliga 2 appearance with his 56th goal. Twenty-three of them have come with Pauli, having previously got 33 for Nuremberg.
• The Austrian also notched his 12th goal of the campaign to surpass his total of 11 from the whole of last season.
• Paqarada’s goal was his second of 2020/21, doubling the total he managed last season.
• Both of Geis’ goals this season have been scored from outside of the box, as have seven of his 10 in Bundesliga 2.
• Dzwigala’s goal was Pauli’s sixth from a substitute this season, while Schäffler was Nuremberg’s seventh header – both league highs.
• Pauli are unbeaten in their last nine Bundesliga 2 meetings with Nuremberg (W5, D4).

Line-ups

Nuremberg: Mathenia - Valentini (c), Schindler, Sörensen, Handwerker - Krauß (Schleimer 69’), Geis (Nürnberger 69’), Tempelmann (Köpke 84) - Möller Daehli - Shuranov (Duman 69’), Schäffler
Unused subs: Klaus, Fischer, Suver, Dovedan
Out: Hübner (shoulder)
Coach: Robert Klauß

Pauli: Vasilj - Ohlsson (Dzwigala 46’), Ziereis (c), Lawrence, Paqarada (Ritzka 27’) - Irvine, Smith (Aremu 74’), Hartel - Kyereh - Burgstaller, Matanovic (Buchtmann 74’)
Unused subs: Smarsch, Beifus, Dittgen, Becker, Amenyido
Out: Avevor (ankle), Daschner (knee), Knoll (calf), Wieckhoff (knee)
Coach: Timo Schultz

Matchday 15 round-up

Schalke 5-2 Sandhausen
Goals: 0-1 Ritzmaier (47'), 1-1 Ouwejan (58'), 2-1 Bülter (64'), 3-1 Zhirov (o.g. 72'), 3-2 Testroet (74'), 4-2 Bülter (76'), 5-2 Zalazar (82')

Schalke made light work of Sandhausen to record their biggest win of the season, despite the absence of top scorer Simon Terodde. Malick Thiaw hit the woodwook in a first half that paled in comparison to the second. Sandhausen broke the deadlock through Marcel Ritzmaier, only for Thomas Ouwejan to level with less than an hour on the clock. Marius Bülter put Schalke ahead to kick-start a barnstorming 12-minute spell comprising a further three goals. Bülter's second of the afternoon all but ended the game as a contest after Pascal Testroet had delivered the perfect rsponse to Aleksandr Zhirov's own goal. Rodrigo Zalazar added the cherry on the cake as Schalke kept pace with the promotion-chasing pack, whilst condemning second-bottom Sandhausen to a third straight loss.

Watch: Schalke 5-2 Sandhausen - in 60 seconds!

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Regensburg 3-1 Dynamo Dresden
Goals: 1-0 Saller (34'), 1-1 Daferner (47'), 2-1 Caliskaner (80'), 3-1 Makridis (82')

Promotion candidates Regensburg bounced back from two successive defeats, thanks to two late goals against Dynamo Dresden. The home side had already spurned a handful of chances, when Benedikt Saller headed in Sarpreet Singh's 34th-minute cross. Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer missed the opportunity to level, before Christoph Daferner - also guilty of fluffing a presentable opening before the break - headed in the equaliser. After Daferner let another chance slip, Regensburg coach Mersad Selimbegovic made a treble change. It proved an inspired move as two of the newcomers, Kaan Caliskaner and Charalambos Makridis, scored within two minutes of each other to secure the win.

Erzgebirge Aue 1-2 Darmstadt
Goals: 0-1 Pfeiffer (62'), 0-2 Seydel (75'), 1-2 Jonjic (85')

Darmstadt cemented their place in the automatic promotion places with a narrow win away to Erzgebirge Aue. Martin Männel pulled off a sublime early save from Mathias Honsak in a sign of things to come, though it wouldn't have counted due to offside. Sören Gonther put the ball through his own net before the 15-minute mark, but a VAR review adjudged Phillip Tietz to have fouled the Aue defender. There were chances at both ends for Nicolas Kühn and Tietz, before Luca Pfeiffer fired past Männel with over an hour gone. Substitute Aaron Seydel added a second and struck the woodwork, with Antonio Jonjic's response to halve the deficit coming too late for Aue, who stay outside the bottom three on goal difference.

Holstein Kiel 2-1 Werder Bremen
Goals: 1-0 Mees (45'), 1-1 Füllkrug (57'), 2-1 Pichler (65')

Holstein Kiel moved three points clear of the relegation zone after edging an entertaining encounter at home to Werder Bremen. Marvin Ducksch failed to make the most of Werder's first real opening when unmarked in the box. Substitute Joshua Mees - on for the injured Fabian Reese - showed the former Kiel striker how it was done when he applied an acrobatic finish to Phil Neumann's cross on the stroke of half-time. A rush of blood from Kiel goalkeeper Thomas Dähne opened the door for Bremen to equalise, as Niclas Füllkrug sent a 25-yard chip over the back-tracking defence and into the unguarded goal. Alexander Mühling delivered the perfect response, though, with a shot against the inside of the post that was turned over the line by Benedikt Pichler.

Watch: Niclas Füllkrug's exquisite lob

Karlsruhe 4-0 Hannover
Goals: 1-0 Choi (17'), 2-0 Gordon (27'), 3-0 Wanitzek (29'), 4-0 Hofmann (83')

Hannover failed to win for the eighth successive league match after falling to a comprehensive 4-0 loss at mid-table Karlsruhe. The Reds fell behind to Darren Choi Kyoung-ro's 17th-minute effort, and were 3-0 down before the game reached the half-hour mark following quick-fire Daniel Gordon and Marvin Wanitzek goals. It was only then that Hannover showed signs of life as Lukas Hinterseer had a goal ruled out for handball and struck the woodwork. Hinterseer and Hendrik Weydandt threatened a way back once more in the second half, but Karlsruher weathered the storm and added a fourth through Philip Hofmann to leave Hannover in the relegation play-off spot by virtue of their inferior goal difference.

Fortuna Düsseldorf 0-1 Heidenheim
Goals: 0-1 Leipertz (90'+2)

Robert Leipertz scored an injury-time winner as Heidenheim punished a profligate Fortuna Düsseldorf. Fortuna dominated proceedings, but there luck was very much out in front of goal. Too often they were guilty of failing to turn possession into chances, with Heidenheim's Tim Kleindienst going as close as anyone to breaking the deadlock with a breakaway shot he placed too close Raphael Wolf. Düsseldorf didn't learn their lesson as substitute Christoph Klarer was off target with a pair of headers in the second half. Fellow sub Leipertz went one better, landing the sucker-punch with a finish into the open net following an incisive, and decisive, counter-attack.

Hamburg 3-0 Ingolstadt
Goals: 1-0 Alidou (12‘), 2-0 Jatta (39‘), 3-0 Wintzheimer (89’)

Hamburg built on their 4-1 win against Regensburg a week ago with another assured display at home to rock-bottom Ingolstadt. The goals continued to flow, first through Faride Alidou. Bakery Jatta made it two when he converted Sonny Kittel’s corner with a header. HSV remained in control throughout the second half, and eventually sealed the three points just before the full-time whistle. Anssi Suhonen fed the ball to fellow substitute Manuel Wintzheimer on the right, who fired into the bottom left corner to cap off an impressive result that takes the Dinos to within two points of the promotion places.

Paderborn 1-1 Hansa Rostock
Goals: 0-1 Rhein (27’), 1-1 Michel (85‘ pen.)

Sven Michel's late penalty rescued Bundesliga hopefuls Paderborn a share of the spoils against Hansa Rostock. The visitors took the lead when Simon Rhein made the most of Paderborn midfielder Robin Yalcin's errant header just before the half-hour mark. Hansa held on to their slender lead and had the three points in sight until five minutes before the end of regulation time. After Nico Neidhart was adjudged to have handled in the penalty box, Michel stepped up to save Paderborn's bacon with his league-leading 13th goal of the campaign.

About the clubs

1. FC Nürnberg

Max-Morlock-Stadion

FC St. Pauli

Millerntor-Stadion