St Pauli gain momentum after Dortmund draw and derby win over Hamburg

St. Pauli produced a dramatic start to the Bundesliga season, drawing 3-3 with Borussia Dortmund at the Millerntor on the opening weekend and then beating city rivals Hamburger SV 2-0 at the Volksparkstadion in the return derby a week later. The results underlined St. Pauli’s momentum after securing survival last season and offered contrasting early-season headaches for Dortmund and Hamburg.

At the Millerntor on Saturday, an end-to-end contest ended honours even after a late thunderbolt from Eric Smith cancelled out a three-goal Dortmund lead. Serhou Guirassy put the visitors ahead with a 34th-minute header, but Andréas Hountondji equalised five minutes after the interval. Waldemar Anton restored Dortmund’s lead before Julian Brandt’s sumptuous volley looked to have sealed the points for the Black and Yellows. The game swung dramatically in the closing stages when Dortmund debutant Filippo Mané received a straight red card for a foul that conceded a penalty, which Danel Sinani converted. With momentum fully with the hosts, Smith thumped a long-range strike into the corner in the 89th minute to secure a 3-3 draw, according to match reports.

Dortmund, who had been among the...