While ex-coach Fabian Hürzeler dazzles the Premier League St. Pauli is struggling in Germany
St. Pauli's Robert Wagner, left, and Augsburg's Ruben Vargas in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and FC St. Pauli at WWK-Arena, Augsburg, Germany, Sunday Sept. 15, 2024. Credit: AP/Harry Langer
AUGSBURG, Germany — Fabian Hürzeler is the English Premier League's new star manager after going unbeaten in his first four league games at Brighton. His old club St. Pauli is in trouble already.
The 31-year-old Texas-born coach got Hamburg-based St. Pauli promoted back to the Bundesliga last season for the first time since 2011, but left a month later to join Brighton.
Three games into the Bundesliga season and St. Pauli has yet to earn a point. Now coached by Alexander Blessin, Sunday's 3-1 loss at Augsburg left St. Pauli in the relegation zone. At least it shed the unwanted record of being the league's only team yet to score a goal.
New signing Marius Wolf gave Augsburg the lead shortly after halftime with his first Bundesliga goal since August 2022, before Phillip Tietz headed in a second. Carlo Boukhalfa's header got St. Pauli back into the game but Yusuf Kabadayi's added-time goal secured the win for Augsburg.
The only team below St. Pauli in the table is the other promoted club, Holstein Kiel, which has three losses and a goal difference of minus 8 after being routed 6-1 by Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Augsburg's win was its first of the season in the Bundesliga and came three days after coach Jess Thorup was given a contract extension through 2026.
Also Sunday, Werder Bremen held on for a 2-1 win at Mainz despite playing the last half-hour with 10 men.
Augsburg's Samuel Essende, left, and St. Pauli's Eric Smith vie for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Augsburg and FC St. Pauli in Augsburg, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. Credit: AP/Harry Langer
Marvin Ducksch's early penalty for Bremen was canceled out by Lee Jae-sung's goal for Mainz after Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer misjudged an interception.
Bremen captain Marco Friedl was red-carded in the 60th for fouling Mainz's Jonathan Burkardt when he was through on goal, but Bremen soon followed up with a goal for new signing Derrick Köhn on his Bundesliga debut.
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