Excitement at FC St. Pauli: Debutant Witte saves a point against Lübeck!

Excitement at FC St. Pauli: Debutant Witte saves a point against Lübeck!

FC St. Pauli's U23s ended an exciting home game against VfB Lübeck on November 29, 2025 with a 1-1 draw. Interim coach Karsten Neitzel had to do without some key players and made four personnel changes compared to the last defeat against the U23s of SV Werder Bremen. Goalkeeper Simon Spari was out due to a rupture of the anterior syndesmosis in his right ankle, which forced the young Melvin Witte, only 17 years old, into the starting line-up.

In addition, other newcomers such as Thieß Mahnel, Jannik Robatsch and Marwin Schmitz also found their place in the starting lineup. With a crowd of 416, the atmosphere in the stadium was good despite the adverse pitch conditions, which initially slowed down the game.

Exciting first half

The start of the game was rather slow and the Kiezkickers had difficulty establishing their short passing game. The guests' first dangerous attack followed in the 6th minute, which led to the deficit: Mika Lehnfeld scored the 0-1 for VfB Lübeck. In the first half, FC St. Pauli did not find the necessary means to assert themselves against the opponent's aggressive style of play.

Goalkeeper Witte also had to save a penalty in the first half, which gave him and the team new confidence. We went into half-time with a 0-1 deficit and the coaches had a lot to discuss.

A strong comeback

Neitzel reacted to the deficit and brought in three fresh players for the second half: Calvin Rahr, Haron Sabah and Nick Schmidt. These changes paid off, as Erik Ahlstrand equalized in the 53rd minute to make it 1-1. FC St. Pauli showed a clear improvement in performance in the second half and created a few chances, while VfB Lübeck remained dangerous.

In stoppage time, St. Pauli's Melenivskyi had to leave the field early after a yellow-red card. But despite this minority, the Kiezkickers kept the draw, which is important for the morale of the team.

The result represents a further step for FC St. Pauli in an intensely competitive environment. The team hopes to position itself better in the U19 DFB youth league, which has been held since this season in a regional preliminary round and subsequent group phase. The league is currently the highest German league for A-juniors. At the end of the season, the German A-junior champion will be determined, with FC St. Pauli having outstanding talent in its ranks.

For detailed information on the current table of the U19 DFB youth league, fans and interested parties can look around here.

The next matchday is eagerly awaited, as there is always a certain potential for surprises in the league and the team wants to show what they can do.

For further details and current news about what is happening at FC St. Pauli, read the detailed report on fcstpauli.com. Anyone who is interested in the structure and process of the U19 DFB youth league can also find out more on Wikipedia.