FC St. Pauli suffered a damaging 0-2 defeat away to 1. FC Heidenheim in Matchday 31 of the Bundesliga, dealing a serious blow to their survival hopes.
For Karol Mets, the match came just days after a historic milestone. The 32-year-old Estonia national football team captain had scored his first Bundesliga goal in the previous round against 1. FC Köln, becoming only the second Estonian to find the net in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
However, this time the night unfolded very differently.
St. Pauli entered the match looking to end a six-game winless streak, facing a direct relegation rival sitting bottom of the table. Instead, they were stunned almost immediately. In just the 3rd minute, Georgian striker Budu Zivzivadze put Heidenheim ahead, capitalizing on a shaky start from the visitors.
Despite the early setback, St. Pauli grew into the game. Around the middle of the first half, they came close to equalising, only to be denied by an excellent save from the home goalkeeper. Mets himself had a opportunity in the 37th minute to score in back-to-back matches, but his header sailed over the bar.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with St. Pauli pushing forward and creating chances but lacking the finishing touch. Their efforts were punished late on. In the 82nd minute, Eren Dinkci finished off a counterattack to double Heidenheim’s lead and effectively seal the result.
The defeat leaves St. Pauli in 16th place with three rounds remaining – a position that would mean a relegation playoff rather than direct survival. The pressure is mounting, with VfL Wolfsburg just one point behind and Heidenheim closing the gap to four.
With automatic relegation looming for the bottom two, every point now carries enormous weight.
St. Pauli will look to respond next Sunday when they host 1. FSV Mainz 05 in another crucial encounter.
