Winning the intense match against Nuremberg, defending the league lead: FC St. Pauli is on course. Reason enough for captain Philipp Ziereis to talk about possible promotion bonuses?
“The spectators saw an awesome game,” Philipp Ziereis summed up on “Sky” after the entertaining 3:2 in the top match against 1. FC Nürnberg. In the end, they were the “deserved winners”. The Kiez were without their coach Timo Schultz. The 44-year-old is in domestic quarantine after a positive coronary test. “Of course, that’s always a strange situation when the head coach is not there,” said Ziereis.
The win was then also a bit for him.
So be it, because St. Pauli got off to an almost perfect start at the Max-Morlock-Stadion. Already after ten minutes, the Hamburg team led through goals by Burgstaller and Paqarada. The team, which was coached by co-trainer Loic Favé on the sidelines, remained cool and clever in the following period and carried the result of 3:2 over the time. “The victory is then also a bit for him,” the St. Pauli captain clarified about Schultz.
There’s still “a bit of time” for the bonus
With the important three-goal win in Nuremberg, the Kiez remain top of the league after the 15th matchday. A full 30 teams out of 39 that were top of the table after 15 games still went up. Is this also the case for St. Pauli? When asked if a promotion bonus had already been negotiated with President Oke Göttlich, the 28-year-old Ziereis said with a smile: “We still have a bit of time for that.” In the end, he said, they would “certainly negotiate something good”.
Zierreis admonishes – and enjoys
In any case, something could still go wrong. “If you look at the table, it’s not as if we’re ten points ahead,” warned St. Pauli’s number 4. “That’s why we’re far from resting or somehow thinking that promotion is perfect now. “
The in-form Kiez can already take the next step towards the Bundesliga on Saturday – against a direct competitor. “8.30 p.m., Saturday evening, at the Millerntor against Schalke, top match. No one would have thought that two years ago either “, said a delighted Ziereis. “We’re just really excited about this season, about every game, and we’re looking forward to next Saturday. “