Estonian national team players Karol Mets and Karl Jakob Hein represented clubs FC St. Pauli and SV Werder Bremen both celebrated important Bundesliga wins, defeating TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 1-0 and 1. FC Heidenheim 2-0 respectively.
St. Pauli’s decisive moment came deep into first-half stoppage time. Manolis Saliakas delivered a precise cross from the right flank, and Mathias Lage powered a header past Oliver Baumann to give the Hamburg side the lead against the run of play.
The 32-year-old Estonian international Karol Mets, who had been playing full matches since mid-November, started the game but was substituted at halftime. It is not yet known whether the change was due to an injury concern.
In Bremen, Werder broke the deadlock in the 57th minute when Jovan Milošević finished off a floated delivery from Romano Schmid. The victory was sealed 30 minutes later in fortunate fashion, as Heidenheim winger Hennes Behrens inadvertently turned the ball into his own net while attempting to clear after a save by goalkeeper Frank Feller. Estonia national team goalkeeper Karl Jakob Hein, who has not featured since last autumn, remained on the bench.
The wins lifted both clubs in the standings. St. Pauli climbed to 15th place, while Werder moved up to 16th, which would currently mean a relegation play-off position.
Next game for both Estonian players teams will be next Sunday when Werder Bremen will travel to Berlin to play against Union Berlin, while Karol Mets team will host Eintracht Frankfurt.
