St Pauli came from behind to secure a 2:2 draw against Holstein Kiel in the second round of the 2. Bundesliga on Thursday evening at the Holstein-Stadion. The hosts took the lead twice in the first half before the visitors mounted a spirited response after the break. Three yellow cards were shown in the closing minutes of the first period as tensions rose, including one for Mathias Rasmussen on 45+2 minutes.
M. Kaars opened the scoring for the visitors on 32 minutes, but T. Hara equalised shortly before the interval and then doubled Kiel's advantage on 45+4 minutes. The momentum shifted when P. Harres pulled one back for St Pauli on 56 minutes. The away side pushed for an equaliser and J. Therkelsen found the net on 88 minutes to complete the turnaround.
St Pauli made several changes in the second half, bringing on Joel Chima Fujita and T. Hara on 64 minutes, followed by Guillermo Balzi on 74 minutes. Additional substitutions saw B. Hrgota and L. Parduzi come off on 80 and 86 minutes respectively. The visitors had nothing to lose with the game poised and they took their chances when they came.
Holstein Kiel dominated possession at 64 per cent but St Pauli were more efficient in front of goal. The visitors registered 46 per cent shot accuracy compared to Kiel's 32 per cent. Both sides created two big chances, though the away team generated more of them overall with five compared to Kiel's two.
The result leaves both teams level on three points after four matches, each sitting in the bottom half of the table. Kiel remain in 16th place while St Pauli hold 15th. The draw extends a run of three consecutive draws for both sides in the league this season.