The Alte Försterei was the setting on Sunday afternoon for an archetypal relegation six-pointer between Union Berlin and St Pauli, who would leapfrog Köln into 15th place with three points in Köpenick. Despite a strong Hinrunde from Die Eisernen, their form since the turn of the year has seen them slowly slip into the relegation battle.
Union head coach Steffen Baumgart made a total of five changes following the 4-0 defeat at Bayern Munich in the final game before the international break, including a completely new front three, with Woo-Yeong Jong, Oliver Burke and Andrej Ilić leading the line. Diogo Leite also returned to the starting XI after recovering from a hamstring injury, which has kept him out since the end of January.
Alexander Blessin made three changes of his own, with Adam Dźwigała, Karol Mets, and Martijn Kaars returning after the home defeat to Freiburg last time out.
The atmosphere from the Union fans in the opening stages was well matched by their players, with the first chance of the game falling to Danilho Doekhi inside five minutes. The defender’s shot forced Nikola Vasilj into a good save.
The visitors began to grow into the game and fashioned a great chance of their own courtesy of a well-worked corner routine. The ball fell to Karol Mets just outside the six-yard box, but despite the good position, he failed to hit the target. Moments later, Mathias Pereira Lage silenced the Alte Försterei with a perfectly struck volley from outside the box, putting his team in front.
Union battled back and would have equalised five minutes before the break were it not for an excellent double save from Nikola Vasilj, who first denied Oliver Burke before reacting quickly to keep out Derrick Köhn’s powerful follow-up.
Union came out after the break, knocking on the St Pauli door and restored parity after just five minutes of the second period, when Serbian forward Ilić rose highest to nod home from a Köhn corner.
After a strong first half, St Pauli stopper Nikola Vasilj suffered a lapse in concentration as he gave the ball away to András Schäfer in a dangerous position. However, he recovered quickly and made the save, much to the frustration of Union’s Hungarian midfielder.
Both teams continued to probe for a winner, but neither side showed real cutting edge in the final third, highlighting why they have struggled in 2026 and, in St Pauli’s case, why they might yet find themselves facing a final-day, winner-takes-all clash against Wolfsburg.
Before the full-time whistle, St Pauli captain Jackson Irvine received two yellow cards in quick succession, meaning he will now miss next week’s clash with Bayern Munich at the Millerntor.
Frederik Rønnow (6) – Danilho Doekhi (6), Leopold Querfeld (6), Diogo Leite (7) – Janik Haberer (6), Rani Khedira (6), András Schäfer (7), Derrick Köhn (7) – Woo-Yeong Jong (6), Oliver Burke (6), Andrej Ilić (8)
Others: Alex Kral (6), Ilyas Ansah (-), Tom Rothe (-)
Nikola Vasilj (8) – Adam Dźwigała (6), Hauke Wahl (6), Karol Mets (6) – Arkadiusz Pyrka (6), Mathias Rasmussen (6), Jackson Irvine (6), Mathias Pereira Lage (7) – Daniel Sinani (5), Joel Chima Fujita (5) – Martijn Kaars (5)
Others: Andreas Hountoundji (5), Conor Metcalfe (-), Abdoulie Ceesay (-)
As Union’s focal point throughout the 90 minutes, Ilić deservedly got his team back on level terms with a trademark header.
An honourable mention to Nikola Vasilj, who perhaps may have won this award had it not been for his momentary lapse in concentration in the second half.
