The opening matchday of the new Bundesliga season saw FC St. Pauli and Borussia Dortmund draw in a thrilling encounter at the Millerntor stadium.
Early pressure came from the Hamburg side, with Oppie firing just wide in the 10th minute and Hountondji failing to connect with a cross a minute later. A long ball found the St. Pauli forward again in the 18th minute, but his attempt was thwarted by Dortmund’s goalkeeper Kobel.
Dortmund responded with chances of their own; Guirassy saw his shot from a tight angle saved in the 23rd minute and Gross was denied by Vasilj from close range two minutes later.
Guirassy broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, heading home a cross from Sabitzer. He then had the opportunity to extend Dortmund’s lead from the penalty spot in the 39th minute, awarded after a foul on Adeyemi, but Vasilj made a crucial save. Kovac’s team went into halftime with a narrow lead.
St. Pauli equalized immediately after the restart, with Hountondji heading home a Sinani cross in the 50th minute.
Dortmund regained the lead in the 67th minute through Anton, whose shot was deflected past the goalkeeper by a St. Pauli defender. Substitute Brandt then added a fourth for Dortmund in the 74th minute, controlling a long ball before slotting past Vasilj.
However, St. Pauli mounted a remarkable comeback. In the 86th minute, Mane conceded a penalty for a foul on Ceesay and received a red card. Sinani converted the penalty. Two minutes later, Smith scored the equalizer, firing past the goalkeeper from outside the box.
A resilient St. Pauli secured a deserved late point, while Borussia Dortmund will be frustrated with conceding two late goals.