Late penalty rescues point for Köln against St. Pauli | OneFootball

In what was a genuine relegation six-pointer, neither side did enough to fully boost their survival hopes, ultimately settling for a share of the spoils. Karol Mets gave the hosts the lead in the second half, but his late foul handed Köln a lifeline, allowing Luca Waldschmidt to convert from the spot and snatch a point.

St. Pauli edged a scrappy first half, pressing Köln high and forcing the visitors into ineffective long balls, preventing them from gaining any real foothold in the game. Despite their territorial advantage, clear-cut chances were at a premium.

The best opportunity of the opening period arrived just after the 20-minute mark - and it was a big one. A delivery from the left found Andreas Hountondji inside the area, and after a clever touch to evade his marker, he fired goalwards from close range, only for Marvin Schwäbe to produce an excellent reflex save, sticking out a leg to divert the effort wide.

The referee brought an uneventful first half to a close at 0-0, with both sides clearly aware of the stakes.

Köln emerged with greater intent after the break and nearly broke the deadlock ten minutes into the second half. Said El Mala cut inside from the left onto his right foot and unleashed a powerful strike that crashed against the crossbar.

St. Pauli responded soon after. A corner swung towards the back post was met by Tomoya Andō, whose header looked destined for the far corner until substitute Marius Bülter intervened with a superb goal-line clearance to keep Köln level.

The hosts finally made their pressure count in the 69th minute with what could have been a vital goal in terms of the relegation battle. Another delivery to the back post caused problems, with Hauke Wahl heading the ball back across goal for Karol Mets to nod home from close range, sending the Millerntor into raptures.

However, the game took another twist late on. With less than ten minutes remaining, VAR advised the referee to review a challenge from Mets on Jakub Kamiński inside the area. The foul was confirmed, and Köln were awarded a penalty. Luca Waldschmidt made no mistake, sending Nikola Vasilj the wrong way to restore parity and set up a nervy finale.

Despite eight minutes of added time, neither side could find a winner, with both defences holding firm as the match ended level.

The result extends St. Pauli’s winless run to six matches, missing a key opportunity to close the gap on those above and leaving them 16th at the end of the weekend. Köln, meanwhile, make it five games unbeaten and climb to 12th - at least for now.