St.Pauli let Leipzig off lightly in scoreless stalemate

Another weekend of Bundesliga action was brought to an end by the meeting of St.Pauli and RB Leipzig at the Millerntor Stadion. Marco Rose's side were pushed to the brink by the hosts who earned a spirit-boosting 0-0 draw.

After midweek disappointment in Europe with a last minute defeat at the hands of Atlético Madrid in the Wanda Metropolitano, RB Leipzig returned to Bundesliga action where they faced St.Pauli. Alexander Blessin's outfit went in as underdogs, but had they managed slightly improved finishing, the hosts could have caused a serious upset. In the end, the match ended in a scoreless stalemate with both goalkeepers Vasilj and Gulacsi impressing.

The hosts from the Hanseatic city started incredibly bright and perhaps should have found themselves in an early lead. Johannes Eggestein was first to test Gulacsi followed by Elias Saad whose curling effort kept the Hungarian keeper on his toes. Leipzig finally arose from their slumber as Šeško and Simons started to purr, however the duo failed to test Vasilj. The half remained scoreless with Irvine glancing wide and Afolayan denied by Gulacsi late on. 

Die Roten Bullen improved after the interval as Xavi Simons cut in from the left to test Vasilj with a dipping effort. There was a brief penalty appeal when Afolayan hit the turf under pressure from Seiwald, however experienced arbiter Robert Hartmann saw no offence committed. At the opposite end, Vasilj's gloves were required again this time to prevent Baumgartner's stinging strike. 

The introduction of Loïs Openda offered some additional threat for Marco Rose's side. His effort from range was a signal of intent but Vasilj could gather with little fuss. Not only was their goalkeeper in inspired form, but the entirety of St.Pauli's squad who featured on the night put in a Trojan effort. Roared on by a fierce Millerntor crowd, Blessin's men hung on for their first Bundesliga point of the season. Had Scott Banks converted his late chance it could have been more.