There is a festive mood at FC St. Pauli on Halloween. FC Schalke 04 was knocked out of the DFB Cup 2-1 after extra time.

Once again, St. Pauli were 1-0 down, and once again, FC St. Pauli won in the end. In recent weeks, the Hamburg team have repeatedly turned around deficits to win their second division games.

This was also the case on October 31, 2023 in the second round of the DFB Cup against FC Schalke 04. After a weak first half, St. Pauli were 1-0 down in the second division clash with the Gelsenkircheners, but deservedly turned the game around to win 2-1.

From the 46th minute, only the league leaders in the 2nd Bundesliga played, scored the 1:1 and were rewarded for their courageous performance with the 2:1 winning goal in extra time.

Sports director Andreas Bornemann, who was delighted not only with the team’s progress to the last sixteen but also with a bonus of around €860,000, was once again impressed by the team’s performance.

“We always find solutions. And of course it’s also a question of mentality. The team doesn’t let itself be unsettled. The coach also makes the right decisions when it comes to substitutions. You have to take your hat off to everyone involved,” said Bornemann, speaking to the pay-TV channel Sky.

St. Pauli have yet to lose a competitive game this season. They have recorded six wins and five draws in the league and two wins in the cup. When asked by the Sky reporter whether this series of Hamburg is slowly becoming eerie for the manager, Bornemann replied: “No, the run of success is not getting creepy to me. We’ve had good half-series from time to time in the past. We want to play a good season and not a half-series.”

Promotion battle and the extra income from the DFB Cup. It suits Bornemann: “The Cup is a great competition and we now have one more game before Christmas. We’re happy to take that on board and, of course, hope to play it at home.” And: no one will be happy to travel to FC St. Pauli – not even a Bundesliga club.