Holstein Kiel fight back from 0-2 to draw 2-2 with FC St. Pauli in 2. Bundesliga
Holstein Kiel came back from 0-2 down to draw 2-2 with FC St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga, with both teams now on two draws from two matches. St. Pauli led through Kaars and Hara before Harres and Therkelsen earned Kiel a point.
Match summary
Holstein Kiel and FC St. Pauli played out a 2-2 draw on Friday evening at the Holstein-Stadion, the second matchday of the 2. Bundesliga season. Both teams now have two draws from two matches, each ending 2-2. St. Pauli, the Bundesliga relegation side, led 2-0 at halftime through goals from Martijn Kaars in the 32nd minute and Taichi Hara in first-half stoppage time (45.+3). Kiel fought back in the second half with Phil Harres scoring in the 56th minute and Jonas Therkelsen equalising in the 88th minute, both goals assisted by Alexander Bernhardsson.
The match was played in front of 11,700 spectators in the sold-out Holstein-Stadion, whose capacity was reduced due to the demolition of the North Stand. Temperatures exceeded 30 degrees. A pyro deployment by Kiel fans darkened the sky and briefly lowered the temperature, delaying the start of the second half by several minutes.
- Kaars misses early chance after Nekic's short backpass, denied by Weiner
- Balzi creates danger in St. Pauli box but Voll saves
- Kaars scores from Rasmussen pass to give St. Pauli 1-0 lead, confirmed by VAR
- Hara finishes Pyrka's setup to make it 2-0 for St. Pauli before halftime
- Harres pulls one back for Kiel, assisted by Bernhardsson
- Therkelsen equalises for Kiel, assisted by Bernhardsson, to make it 2-2
How the goals came
St. Pauli had an early chance in the 2nd minute when Kaars latched onto a short backpass from Ivan Nekic but was denied by Kiel goalkeeper Timon Weiner. Kiel's Argentine new signing Guillermo Balzi created danger in the 14th minute but could not beat St. Pauli keeper Ben Voll. Kaars scored on his second attempt, converting a pass from Mathias Rasmussen; the goal was confirmed after a brief VAR review for passive offside against Hara. In first-half stoppage time, Arkadiusz Pyrka won the ball back from David Zec and set up Hara, who calmly finished for 2-0. Weiner then prevented a third with a strong save from Louis Oppie's shot in the 45.+5th minute.
Kiel had more of the play before the break and were rewarded after halftime. Harres pulled one back from a Bernhardsson assist in the 56th minute, and Therkelsen levelled from another Bernhardsson setup in the 88th. The result ended a run of five consecutive competitive defeats for Kiel against their northern rivals, preventing a sixth.
Coaches' reactions
Kiel coach Tim Walter, 50, said the start was acceptable given the team's relegation battle last season. He noted the team had "75 percent dominated" the opening match against SV Darmstadt 98 and "dominated overall" against St. Pauli, but urged his players to stop conceding easy goals.
Wir sollten aber aufhören, Geschenke zu verteilen.
Walter also defended his players, saying mistakes are human and will always happen. He remained relaxed about rumours that Bernhardsson could leave before the transfer window closes, calling the Swedish international "a super player" and saying the club is glad to have him.
St. Pauli coach Marcel Rapp was returning to his former employer, where he coached from October 2021 to February 2026. He said his side were "a bit disappointed" because more was possible but would keep going. St. Pauli captain David Nemeth said the team was conceding goals they did not want to concede. Weiner said his side improved "significantly" after the break.
What's next
Kiel's next fixture is a DFB-Pokal first-round match away at TSV 1860 Munich, who were relegated to the Regionalliga Bayern, next Saturday. Their next league match is away at 1. FC Magdeburg on 30 August. St. Pauli, still seeking their first win of the season, will look to build on the attacking performance that produced a two-goal lead but could not hold it.
