Lucky Bayern Munich Win
September 9, 2006It was another edition of a classic meeting of unequals: Southern German powerhouses Bayern Munich against third-division St. Pauli from Hamburg. Bayern came into Hamburg's Millerntor stadium hoping to avoid becoming Saturday's third major upset victim. Pauli were seeking revenge for last season's 3-0 semi-final loss to Munich in the German Cup.
St. Pauli Take Early Lead
Reigning Cup holders Bayern were sluggish coming out of the blocks, as the underdog hosts were able to create a number of good chances early in the match. And Pauli were rewarded in the 32nd minute when midfielder Timo Schultz latched onto a cross and drilled it home from just outside the penalty area.
St. Pauli remained the more aggressive side for the rest of the first half, while Bayern failed to create a single clear goal-scoring opportunity. The hosts took a deserved 1-0 lead into the half-time break -- much to the delight of a packed house of frenzied Pauli fans.
Bayern Dominate Second Half
Bayern coach Felix Magath brought on Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski for the second half, and the move paid off immediately. Podolski knotted things up after only 30 seconds with his first-ever goal in a Bayern uniform.
From them on it was Munich creating more pressure, with Podolski missing a handful of scoring opportunities against Pauli's back-up keeper Patrick Borger. The hosts tried to counter-attack against the physically stronger Bavarians -- mostly without success. But they did manage to hold the 1-1 score-line and force extra time.
Own Goal Decides Match
Bayern got off to a bad start when play resumed. Defender Lucio picked up a red card in the 92nd minute. But luck was on Munich's side 15 minutes later, as Borger clumsily diverted a Philipp Lahm cross into his own net to put the favorites up 2-1.
Pauli pressed but were incapable of exploiting their man advantage. And when defender Fabio Morena picked up a red card of his own in the 120th minute, their goose was cooked. Bayern held on for a lucky 2-1 win over a spirited St. Pauli squad.