St. Pauli loses to Leverkusen: Flekken saves the victory with saves!

St. Pauli loses to Leverkusen: Flekken saves the victory with saves!

On September 27, 2025, FC St. Pauli wasn't exactly lucky in the game against Bayer Leverkusen. The Kiezkickers had to admit defeat 1:2 and thus experienced their second defeat in a row. Coach Alexander Blessin had called for a significant improvement in the game before the game, but despite a solid performance, success was not within reach. The team showed improvement in many areas, but was unable to take advantage of the opportunities available, which ultimately had bitter consequences.

The game started badly for Hamburg when Bayer Leverkusen took the lead in the 25th minute through Edmond Tapsoba. After a free kick from Alejandro Grimaldo was unfortunately saved by St. Pauli's Eric Smith, Tapsoba took the opportunity and scored. But the response from the Kiezkickers didn't take long to arrive. Hauke ​​Wahl scored his first Bundesliga goal in the 32nd minute and equalized when he took advantage of a mistake by Leverkusen goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

The game is on the brink

But the joy of the equalizer didn't last long. Leverkusen countered in the second half and brought the lead back into the game through Ernest Poku in the 58th minute. This goal was also a debut: it was Poku's first goal in the Bundesliga. However, St. Pauli did not let this discourage them. Overall, Hamburg had numerous opportunities, including a close shot from Joel Chima Fujita that went wide of the goal and was skillfully thwarted several times by Flekken in his goal. Especially in stoppage time, the Leverkusen goalkeeper was able to fend off a dangerous free kick and thus secured a narrow victory for his team. Flekken expressed his relief after the game: "I'm just so happy about the victory. If you made a mistake that led to a goal, the relief is even greater," said the keeper.

What was particularly frustrating for St. Pauli was that they were able to make the game tighter than the result suggests. If they had optimally exploited their chances, they might even have been able to leave the pitch as winners. Now the team doesn't have much time to rest: the next decisive duel is on the program next Saturday against Werder Bremen in the Weserstadion.

The status in the Bundesliga

FC St. Pauli, who recently won promotion to the Bundesliga Celebration, once again showed this season how tough the competition is in the top German league. Bayer Leverkusen became champions in the 2023/2024 season under coach Xabi Alonso and continued to have high standards. These demands are met by current statistics in the Bundesliga, which see the teams in tough competition, with Bayern Munich currently leading the table. While St. Pauli is fighting to stay in the league, it remains to be seen how they will fare against direct rivals Werder Bremen.
Statista reports on the Bundesliga.