Bayer 04 Leverkusen defeated FC St. Pauli 3-0 to become the first semifinalist in the DFB-Pokal. Goals came from Martin Terrier, Patrik Schick, and Jonas Hofmann at the BayArena in front of 30,210 spectators. Despite strong resistance, St. Pauli remained ineffective in attack.
Bayer Leverkusen defeated FC St. Pauli 3-0 (1-0) in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals for the third consecutive time. As the 2024 cup winners, the Werkself preserved their title hopes for the season. In front of a sold-out crowd at the BayArena, Martin Terrier scored the opener in the 32nd minute after St. Pauli failed to clear a cross. Patrik Schick made it 2-0 with a volley in the 63rd minute from an Aleix Garcia flank. Substitute Jonas Hofmann sealed the win with a long-range strike in the 90+2nd minute.
St. Pauli, 17th in the Bundesliga with no wins since December, put up strong resistance. Early chances, like a corner in the 4th minute or a blunder by backup keeper Ben Voll in the 17th, went unconverted. Joel Fujita missed in the 24th, and Martijn Kaars shot over in the 40th. Coach Alexander Blessin viewed the match as a distraction from the relegation battle, while president Oke Göttlich urged the team to annoy and poke.
Leverkusen's sporting director Simon Rolfes praised the second-half response: "We struggled, but we improved in the second half. We showed a good reaction there." St. Pauli's Louis Oppie conceded: "Leverkusen finishes the balls ice-cold after winning possession or when we were disorganized; that's what we lacked." Hofmann, scorer of the third goal, anticipates a return to the Champions League squad; the new list is due on February 5. Leverkusen faces Olympiakos Piraeus in the playoffs.
Upcoming quarterfinals: Holstein Kiel vs. VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday, Hertha BSC vs. SC Freiburg next Tuesday, and FC Bayern vs. RB Leipzig next Wednesday.
