A St Pauli side that also included Australia's Connor Metcalfe was greeted by a thunderous welcome and huge pirate ship tifo lit by flares as heavy snow fell at Millerntor-Stadion.

The hosts took the lead in the 15th minute when Socceroos star Irvine lashed home a sensational half-volley from a corner.

Little more than 10 minutes later it was 2-0 after Hamburg goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes produced an horrific shank into his own net after he was forced to deal with a questionable backpass.

That blunder came only minutes after the hosts had been denied an earlier second for offside and St Pauli remained well and truly on top throughout much of the first period.

But the second half was more evenly contested, and two goals in as many minutes around the hour mark saw Hamburg draw level, first through Robert Glatzel before Immanuel Pherai found the back of the net.

Increasingly heavy snow made for some scrappy exchanges as the half went on, and ultimately neither side could be crowned a winner in what was a pulsating encounter that lived up to all the hype having been billed as the biggest game in Germany across all divisions this weekend.

The result meant both sides earned a point, leaving St Pauli still top and Hamburg three points further back in second.

In the other match of the day, Schalke grabbed a much-needed win to move out of the bottom three for now, thumping bottom side Osnabruck 4-0 at Veltins-Arena.