Bayern Munich Beat St. Pauli 3-1 in Dramatic Stoppage Time Finish
Key Takeaways
- League leaders Bayern Munich overcame early deficit against relegation-threatened visitors
- St. Pauli shocked Allianz Arena with sixth-minute opener through Hountondji
- Two stoppage-time goals sealed comeback victory for unbeaten Bayern
Bayern Munich Beat St. Pauli 3-1 in Dramatic Stoppage Time Finish
League leaders Bayern Munich defeated 17th-placed St. Pauli 3-1 at the Allianz Arena in a dramatic encounter that required two stoppage-time goals to secure victory. The result maintained Bayern's perfect record of 11 wins and one draw, while St. Pauli remained in the relegation zone with just seven points from 12 matches.
St. Pauli stunned the home crowd in the 6th minute when Andréas Hountondji fired a right-footed shot from the left side of the box into the bottom left corner, assisted by Mathias Pereira Lage's through ball. Bayern responded before halftime as Raphaël Guerreiro leveled the score in the 44th minute, converting a left-footed effort from the center of the box to the high center of the goal after Luis Díaz's assist.
The match remained deadlocked until the dying moments when Bayern struck twice in stoppage time. Luis Díaz headed home from the center of the box in the 90th+3rd minute, meeting Joshua Kimmich's cross to give Bayern the lead. Nicolas Jackson sealed the victory three minutes later with a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom right corner, with the goal awarded following a VAR review.
Bayern dominated possession with 80.5% of the ball and registered 19 shots compared to St. Pauli's 10. The visitors' goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj made several crucial saves, including denying Harry Kane from close range in the 81st minute. Bayern forced 10 corners while St. Pauli managed just two, reflecting the home side's territorial advantage.
The match flow saw Bayern control large periods but struggle to break down a resilient St. Pauli defense until the final moments. St. Pauli's defensive organization frustrated the league leaders for most of the contest, with the visitors even creating late chances through Louis Oppie in the 90th minute before Bayern's dramatic finale.
The victory extends Bayern's commanding lead at the top of the Bundesliga table with 37 points from 12 matches, maintaining their 35-goal difference. St. Pauli's defeat leaves them in serious relegation trouble, sitting second-bottom with a negative 14-goal difference and desperately needing points to climb away from danger.