Heidenheim beat St. Pauli to keep Bundesliga survival hopes alive
A 2-0 victory over FC St. Pauli on Friday has kept 1. FC Heidenheim's slender hopes of Bundesliga survival mathematically intact. Goals from Budu Zivzivadze and Eren Dinkci secured a crucial three points for Frank Schmidt's side, who began the day facing the prospect of certain relegation with a defeat.
Zivzivadze opened the scoring in just the third minute, tapping home from close range after a headed assist from Adrian Beck. It was the Georgian striker's fourth league goal of the season and his third in the last three matches, marking a timely return to form. The home side managed the lead through a largely uneventful first half, with goalkeeper Diant Ramaj making a key save to deny St. Pauli's Andréas Hountondji.
The visitors improved after the break but failed to convert their chances, with Ramaj again denying Hountondji. Heidenheim sealed the victory in the 82nd minute when Dinkci, sent clear by a long ball from Ramaj, expertly finished past the goalkeeper. The win, Heidenheim's second in three games, moves them to within four points of St. Pauli, who occupy the relegation play-off spot.
Speaking to Sportschau after the match, Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt praised his team's defensive resolve. "It would be really tragic if we went through the season without a clean sheet, compliments to the team," he said. Schmidt remained pragmatic about the remaining fixtures, acknowledging the daunting task ahead: "We know where we play next week, even if we have nothing against a miracle happening."
For St. Pauli, the defeat represents a significant missed opportunity to pull clear of danger. They now sit just one point above VfL Wolfsburg in the automatic relegation places, with a direct clash against Wolfsburg looming on the final day. Coach Alexander Blessin expressed his dissatisfaction, telling Sportschau, "We didn't bring any calmness into the game and often made the wrong decisions. We tried everything without really radiating danger, it was too little."
The result sets up a dramatic final two matchdays in the Bundesliga relegation battle. Heidenheim's survival bid faces its sternest test next Saturday with an away fixture against champions Bayern Munich. St. Pauli, meanwhile, will host Mainz 05 before their decisive final-day encounter with Wolfsburg. Heidenheim's victory ensures the fight for survival will go down to the wire, though their fate remains largely out of their own hands.
