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St. Pauli secured their first home victory of the season with a commanding 3-1 triumph over Holstein Kiel on Friday night, a result that brought relief and optimism to their Bundesliga campaign.
The hosts struck first at the Millerntor Stadium through Manolis Saliakas, whose composed finish gave them a 1-0 advantage at half-time.
Kiel had a chance to equalise before the break, but Jann-Fiete Arp's penalty miss proved costly.
In the second half, St. Pauli capitalised on their momentum. Morgan Guilavogui doubled the lead with a well-taken strike, and Johannes Eggestein made it 3-0 with a clinical finish.
Phil Harres pulled one back late for Kiel, but it was no more than a consolation as St. Pauli's defence held firm for most of the match.
Head coach Alexander Blessin expressed his delight at finally breaking the home win drought. "We're obviously overjoyed," Blessin said. "I'm happy not to have to answer any more questions about when we'll get our first home win at the next few news conferences."
Blessin praised his side's determination, adding, "The momentum was fully on our side when the ball bounced off the inside of the post and went in. We've earned that luck in recent weeks. Huge compliments to the team, we learned from the Monchengladbach game and have taken a step forward."
Reflecting on the team's performance, Blessin noted their defensive organisation and effective counterattacks. "Apart from the penalty and the consolation strike, we kept Kiel far from our goal. The goals were magnificent.
"The lads deserved their reward," he added, though lamenting the missed opportunity for a clean sheet.
The victory lifted St. Pauli to 15th place with 11 points from 12 games, easing their relegation concerns and setting a positive tone for their upcoming fixtures.
