St Pauli errors lead to heavy loss against Mainz
It's back to the drawing board for St Pauli after it was beaten 3-0 by Mainz in the Bundesliga.
The Hamburg side, led by Australia star Jackson Irvine, came into the match full of optimism after claiming its first win and points last time out since winning promotion from the second tier.
But while the home support was hoping for a first win at Millerntor-Stadion this season, everything came crashing down inside five minutes when Jonathan Burkhardt came up with an ingenious back header to put the visitors in front and leave Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj red-faced.
St Pauli was again the master of its own demise barely 10 minutes later when possession was carelessly given away in midfield, and Mainz broke quickly to put Bayern Munich loanee Armindo Sieb through, and he made no mistake, slotting past Vasilj from just inside the box to double the lead.
For the remainder of the half, Pauli looked the better side, but could not find a way through, and that would prove crucial when just after the hour mark, Mainz scored a third from a rapid counter-attack.
With the hosts pushed up in search of goals to get back into the game, the visitors pinched the ball and broke quickly, Burkhardt again beating Vasij with a clinical finish for his second to seal the points for Mainz and move it into the top 10.
