2. Bundesliga: Ten-man St. Pauli fight back to earn point at Cottbus | OneFootball

Justin Butler gave Cottbus the lead shortly before half-time after St. Pauli defender Tomoya Ando was shown a second yellow card, but Martijn Kaars headed home 10 minutes from time to rescue a point for the visitors.

St. Pauli started the brighter of the two sides at the LEAG Energie Stadion and initially looked comfortable in possession. Connor Metcalfe created the first notable opportunity in the 14th minute, testing Cottbus goalkeeper Maximilian Lotka with a long-range effort.

However, the complexion of the contest changed dramatically in the 21st minute.

Ando was shown a second yellow card following another mistimed challenge, leaving St. Pauli with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Marcel Rapp’s side were forced to retreat deeper, while Cottbus immediately looked to take advantage of their numerical superiority. 

The hosts increased the pressure and eventually found the breakthrough in the 37th minute.

Justin Butler collected the ball around the edge of the penalty area before firing an unstoppable effort beyond Ben Voll to give Cottbus a 1-0 lead going into the break. 

St. Pauli struggled to create opportunities after going down to 10 men, with Cottbus controlling possession and attempting to exploit the extra man. 

The hosts came close to extending their advantage after Voll’s attempted clearance went straight to Henry Rorig in the 70th minute, although the St. Pauli goalkeeper recovered to deny the Cottbus player who arguably should have looked to find a red shirt in the middle of the box. 

Rapp responded by making an attacking change with 15 minutes remaining, bringing on Ricky-Jade Jones and Martijn Kaars in an attempt to find a way back into the contest.

The changes paid off almost immediately.

In the 80th minute, Jones produced an excellent piece of individual play before delivering for Kaars, who headed home from close range to bring St. Pauli level at 1-1. 

The equaliser transformed the final stages into an open contest, with both sides pushing for a winner despite the numerical imbalance.

Cottbus came closest to restoring their lead in the 85th minute when King Manu rose to meet a cross and sent a header towards goal. Voll was equal to the effort, making an important save to preserve St. Pauli’s unlikely point.

Neither side could find a decisive second goal, meaning the spoils were shared at the final whistle.

For Cottbus, it was a frustrating conclusion after taking advantage of their numerical superiority and leading for more than 40 minutes. St. Pauli, meanwhile, showed considerable resilience to claim a point despite being reduced to 10 men so early in the contest.

The result means St. Pauli remain unbeaten in their last three league matches, while Cottbus extended their own unbeaten run to three games following up their 3-0 victory over Karlsruher SC with Sunday’s draw.