St. Pauli 0-1 FC Union Berlin: Post-match review, Stats, Key moment

Dive into Bwin’s post-match review of St. Pauli 0-1 FC Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Sunday, 23 November 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

The match at Millerntor-Stadion saw St. Pauli take control early on with superior possession, but they were unable to convert their dominance into goals as FC Union Berlin defended resolutely. A yellow card to St. Pauli's Joel Chima Fujita in the 38' added tension, and just before the break, Union Berlin broke the deadlock when R. Khedira scored a normal goal assisted by A. Ilic in the 44', giving the visitors a slender lead. Rani Khedira then received a yellow card in the 46', but Union held firm to go into half-time ahead.

In the second half, both teams made changes to influence the game, with St. Pauli bringing on D. Sinani and A. Ceesay in place of A. Hountondji and J. Irvine respectively at 64', while Union substituted A. Kral for A. Ilic at 65'. Further substitutions followed, including a triple change for Union at 73' where D. Kohn, Jeong Woo-Yeong, and J. Haberer replaced T. Rothe, O. Burke, and A. Kemlein, and St. Pauli introduced C. Metcalfe for A. Pyrka at the same time, before additional swaps at 82' and 87'. Despite St. Pauli's pressure and numerous corners, they couldn't find an equaliser, allowing Union Berlin to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory.

St. Pauli enjoyed 59% possession compared to Union Berlin's 41%, which allowed them to dictate the tempo for much of the game, yet their inability to convert this into goals proved costly, as evidenced by their zero assists against Union's one that led to the decisive strike. With 8 corners to Union's 2 and 50 successful dribbles against 36, St. Pauli created more attacking opportunities but lacked the clinical edge, while both sides picked up one yellow card each with no red cards or penalties influencing the outcome. Union Berlin's five substitutions compared to St. Pauli's four provided fresh legs in the latter stages, helping them maintain their lead, particularly after key changes like A. Kral coming on for A. Ilic at 65' and a raft of 73' switches including D. Kohn replacing T. Rothe, which bolstered their defence against St. Pauli's persistent but fruitless pressure.

The game's pivotal moment came in the 44' when R. Khedira netted for FC Union Berlin with an assist from A. Ilic, breaking the deadlock in what was otherwise a tightly contested first half marked by yellow cards to St. Pauli's Joel Chima Fujita at 38' and Union's Rani Khedira at 46'. Substitutions played a significant role in the second period, with St. Pauli seeking to inject energy through double changes at 64' where D. Sinani replaced A. Hountondji and A. Ceesay came on for J. Irvine, followed by C. Metcalfe substituting for A. Pyrka at 73' and M. Kaars entering for M. Pereira Lage at 87'. For Union Berlin, A. Kral's introduction for A. Ilic at 65' helped stabilise midfield, while their triple substitution at 73'—seeing D. Kohn for T. Rothe, Jeong Woo-Yeong for O. Burke, and J. Haberer for A. Kemlein—along with T. Skarke replacing I. Ansah at 82', ensured they saw out the win despite St. Pauli's territorial advantage.

St. Pauli lined up in a 3-5-2 formation, emphasising width through their wing-backs and a solid defensive trio to counter Union's threats, with key partnerships in midfield allowing players like J. Irvine, who started but was substituted at 64', to drive forward and support the front two in creating chances.

FC Union Berlin deployed a 3-4-2-1 setup, focusing on a compact backline and dynamic attacking midfielders to exploit transitions, with standout roles for players like R. Khedira in the engine room and A. Ilic, who started and provided the assist before being replaced by A. Kral at 65', forming effective links with the lone striker.

R. Khedira was the standout performer and deservedly Man of the Match for FC Union Berlin, scoring the only goal of the game in the 44' with a composed finish from A. Ilic's assist, while his midfield presence helped disrupt St. Pauli's rhythm despite picking up a yellow card early in the second half.

Recent Bundesliga matches:

• Loss: 0-1 vs FC Union Berlin (H)
• Loss: 1-2 vs SC Freiburg (A)
• Loss: 0-4 vs Borussia Mönchengladbach (H)
• Loss: 0-2 vs Eintracht Frankfurt (A)
• Loss: 0-3 vs TSG Hoffenheim (H)

Recent Bundesliga matches:

• Win: 1-0 vs St. Pauli (A)
• Draw: 2-2 vs FC Bayern München (H)
• Draw: 0-0 vs SC Freiburg (H)
• Loss: 0-1 vs Werder Bremen (A)
• Win: 3-1 vs Borussia Mönchengladbach (H)

St. Pauli find themselves in a precarious 16th position with just seven points after a run of three consecutive losses, including this 0-1 home defeat to FC Union Berlin, putting pressure on them to turn things around quickly to avoid relegation worries. Their next challenge is a daunting away trip to face league leaders FC Bayern München, who boast 31 points, on 29 November at 14:30, where they’ll need to shore up their defence and find some attacking spark to have any hope of an upset.

FC Union Berlin sit comfortably in eighth place with 15 points, buoyed by this 1-0 away win over St. Pauli which extends their unbeaten run following draws against heavyweights like FC Bayern München and SC Freiburg. They host bottom-side Heidenheim, who have only five points, on 29 November at 14:30, presenting a golden opportunity to build momentum and climb the table with a home victory.

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