St. Pauli Celebrate Derby Win as HSV Suffer Painful 2–0 Defeat

According to SaedNews: The long-awaited Hamburg derby ended in celebration for FC St. Pauli and disappointment for the newly promoted HSV, after a 2–0 win in front of around 50,000 at the Volksparkstadion — the first top-flight derby between the neighbours since 2011.

Match snapshot

St. Pauli controlled the game overall and deserved their win. HSV, who had hoped to mark their first Bundesliga home match since promotion with a victory, were repeatedly frustrated by St. Pauli’s strong defence and failed to find the finishing touch. A Hamburg chance early in the second half looked to have produced an equaliser, but the goal was disallowed by VAR for a narrow offside in the 48th minute.

Reaction in the camps

HSV coach Merlin Polzin did not hide his disappointment: “The evening is awful as far as the final result goes. We mustn’t sugarcoat it — it’s very bitter and very disappointing.” By contrast, St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin praised his side’s performance while urging calm: “That was really good… but it’s a good start, nothing more. We’ll stay grounded and keep working.” Blessin allowed his players to celebrate the win before the upcoming international break.

Key players & positives

For St. Pauli, the win was a statement — the team even enjoyed a brief spell atop the table overnight. Hauke Wahl called the derby victory “extremely valuable,” saying it’s important to carry the “Derby-winner” stamp as a local. For HSV, there was a minor consolation as longer-term absentees Yussuf Poulsen and Jean-Luc Dompé picked up additional minutes, but the side still left the evening without a goal.

What’s next

HSV face a tough challenge after the break, travelling to Bayern on 13 September — a fixture that will be a stern test and could temper hopes of a quick mood lift. St. Pauli, meanwhile, will relish the moment but Blessin’s message was clear: the team must keep working to build on the promising start.