Leipzig's Mister Cup: Poulsen shoots St. Pauli out of the competition

First shone, then trembled: Thanks to Yussuf Poulsen, RB Leipzig reached the last 16 of the DFB Cup even with a B team. The Danish international scored twice in the 4:2 (3:1) win against FC St. Pauli and was representative of the strong performance of the significantly changed Leipzig team. The draw for the last 16 (3/4 December) will be made on Sunday's Sportschau.

"We did what we set out to do on the pitch. We took our chances relatively quickly, which always helps in a game like this," said attacking player Christoph Baumgartner.

Poulsen put the RB team, which had made six changes to its starting XI, ahead in the 12th minute. Christoph Baumgartner (17') increased the lead in front of 40,478 fans, then Poulsen (30') was on hand again. In between, Morgan Guilavogui (28) and Eric Smith (59) briefly gave Hamburg hope, with Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt looking unlucky with both goals. Substitute Antonio Nusa (80th) then made everything clear.

29 scorer points in 34 appearances

Cup time is Poulsen time. The 30-year-old has already scored 14 goals and set up a further 15 in 34 appearances in the DFB Cup. It was only the second starting eleven appearance for the Dane, who has been at Leipzig for more than a decade. The attacking duo of Loïs Openda and Benjamin Sesko are currently unstoppable.

However, Openda was injured, Sesko was given a break - and Poulsen made the most of his chance. On his first goal, however, opponent Eric Smith showed far from first-class tackling and Poulsen took advantage of his robustness to slot the ball in from close range. Smith did not stand up well either when Lutsharel Geertruida crossed to Baumgartner. The Austrian international headed the ball into the far corner with no chance at all.

Vandevoordt makes a mistake

Poulsen (22) almost scored his second goal after a long throw-in with the back of his head, but St. Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj was alert. There was also a sign of life up front from the very timid promoted team. Johannes Eggestein beat four Leipzig players in the penalty area and set up Guilavogui - but Vandevoordt allowed his rather harmless finish to slip underneath him to connect.

The Belgian had celebrated a good Bundesliga debut against Freiburg on Saturday and also deputized for the ailing regular goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi in the cup. However, the 34-year-old, who is suffering from ankle problems, should be back in goal on Saturday in Dortmund.

Smith gives hope

Leipzig had Poulsen up front. The second goal came two minutes later. Baumgartner was sent on his way after a failed clearance by Smith and played the striker, who was completely free in the middle, in. A powerful shot into the top left corner almost sealed the game. Last year, Leipzig had already been eliminated in the second round of the cup after winning the competition twice in a row.

In the league, St. Pauli had drawn 0-0 against RB. But this time, the team of coach Alexander Blessin, who worked in Leipzig's youth system between 2012 and 2020, simply couldn't get a grip on the game. Hamburg's play was characterized by a lack of robustness and quick ball losses. In addition, Leipzig's defense had no problems with the worst attack in the Bundesliga (five goals in eight games).

But then Leipzig switched into administration mode, practically inviting St. Pauli in. The renewed connection was nevertheless somewhat fortunate when Lukas Klostermann deflected an attempt from Smith, which was apparently intended as a cross, into his own goal. Vandevoordt was unfortunate again. At least the goal Leipzig conceded made them more active again. Substitute Nusa dribbled around half the Pauli defense with a solo run and marked the final score.