1. FC Union Berlin lost 3-0 to FC St. Pauli on a chastening evening in Hamburg on Sunday. Morgan Guilavogui scored a brace before Daniel Sinani rounded things off for the hosts in the final minute of time added-on.

1. FC Union Berlin: Schwolow – Juranovic, Doekhi, Querfeld (60. Vertessen, Leite, Skov (71. Rothe) – Haberer (71. Skarke), Schäfer (46. Bénes), Kemlein – Siebatcheu (60. Volland), Hollerbach 
 
FC St. Pauli: Vasilj – Nemeth, Wahl, Ritzka (46. Boukhalfa) – Saliakas (90. Stevens), Irvine, Sands, Treu – Guilavogui, Eggestein (90. Sinani), Weißhaupt (78. Afolayan) 

Attendance: 29.546 

Goals: 1-0 Guilavogui (31.), 2-0 Guilavogui (51.), 3-0 Sinani (90.+3) 

The starting XI

For the first time, since taking over the reins at 1. FC Union Berlin, head coach, Steffen Baumgart, opted for an unchanged starting eleven from the previous week.

Just as in last weekend’s victory over Mainz, Alexander Schwolow remained in between the sticks. He was behind a back three of Diogo Leite, Danilho Doekhi and Leopold Querfeld. They were flanked by Robert Skov and Josip Juranović who featured as left and right wing-backs respectively.

Aljoscha Kemlein and Janik Haberer would anchor the midfield, allowing for both Andreas Schäfer and Benedict Hollerbach to flank the front man, Jordan Siebatcheu.

Union’s promising start fades away as Guilavogui puts the hosts ahead

It was tough night at the office. Head coach, Steffen Baumgart, summed up his side’s 3-0 loss in Union’s first Bundesliga game at the Millerntor, simply coming straight to the point, saying that, “We had the first 20 minutes under control and then came the first good attack. After that, we were struggling until half-time but still had the chance to equalise. If you don't score and then concede another two goals, you don't look the best.”

Benedict Hollerbach was even blunter. ‘It’s very bitter,” he said. “You can't lose games like that and now St. Pauli are level on points with us again,” he said, disappointment playing across his face.

Union had the opening shot on goal, after Andras Schäfer was clattered on the turn, five yards outside the St. Pauli box. Robert Skov and Josip Juranović stood over the set-piece, Skov blazing it firmly over the bar.

Union looked raring to go in the opening passages of play. Hollerbach, drifting out to the right-hand side, won a corner straight afterwards. It was taken by Skov, as he bent the ball towards the back post where Jackson Irvine somehow managed to get to it ahead of the rapidly looming Danilho Doekhi, the ball deflecting off his back, before been booted away to safety.

Doekhi was soon involved at the back, cleaning up as the hosts threatened to counter. He, Diogo Leite and Leopold Querfeld exuding a certain sense of calm, backed up by Janik Haberer who was often turning their three into a four whenever St. Pauli had the ball, and Querfeld’s ball out from his own 18 yard line to Schäfer, scurrying into midfield, was a peach, hit low and precisely to the Hungarian’s feet. Schäfer was caught by Irvine soon after, neither player backing out as the ball sat up between the pair of them.

Yet, it had been a somewhat cagey start, and when Noah Weißhaupt attempted to cut inside from the left, he was immediately faced with a crowd of Union players led by Juranović, who dispossessed him with ease. Alexander Schwolow held onto Manolis Saliakis’ in-swinging cross above his head without any problems.

Union’s greatest threat came from Hollerbach, as he devilishly tormented David Nemeth on the left-hand side with twenty minutes on the clock, intelligently switching the ball between his left and right foot at pace, winning a corner which the towering Doekhi could not manage to direct his header towards goal.

When Weißhaupt jinked his way past Doekhi down the Union left-hand side with a clever turn, Querfeld was sharply onto him, causing him to pull back – his pass to Nemeth was wasted as he sliced his shot whilst leaning backwards.

This was a sign of the pressure that the guests were now coming under regularly. St. Pauli were improving as the half went on, growing in confidence, and Eggestein cannoned the crossbar at the 26^th minute-mark, following Saliakas’ corner which caused a moment of aerial pinball in the Union box. Schwolow then superbly saved from Irvine at his near post as the St. Pauli captain let fly, having cut inside, striking his shot on the run with his right foot.

It was a lesson which went unheeded by Union, because within a few minutes later, St. Pauli had scored from a similar position. This time, Morgan Guilavogui had the chance, dashing past Querfeld, firing his shot towards the near post, yet hard and high, giving Union’s stopper no chance as the ball rattled into the roof of the net.

Hollerbach then went close at the other end as the game exploded into life. Although, Union’s chances were few and far between, and Nikola Vasilj was equal to Hollerbach’s left-footed effort on goal. Suddenly the ball ricocheted back, Saliakas once again finding space out on the left-hand side, and it took sky-high clearances from first Doekhi, with his heel, and then Querfeld to clear the danger.

Eggestein then saw his shot ping around in the crowd, panic suddenly breaking out as the ball glided like it was on an elastic cord, pinging left and right. Eggestein perhaps should have done better on the 42^nd minute when he suddenly found himself in space with the ball dropping perfectly to his feet, but his control was well off and the split-second allowed Union’s defence to quickly get back into position.

The half-time whistle sounded with only a minute added on. Union could finally catch their collective breaths.

Guilavogui bags his brace, yet Union cannot find a way through the St. Pauli defence

Baumgart started the second half with a substitution, bringing László Bénes on for Schäfer at the break and as in the first half, Union were the quickest out of the blocks. Juranović burst onto a loose ball, sliding it in for Jordan who took a touch, but Hauke Wahl’s lunge was enough to divert it out for a corner.

But if they thought that this would signal a change in their fortunes, they had another think coming, even when Eggestein rose at the back post five minutes later, only to see the ball squirming wide of the far post and into the side netting.

He re-doubled his efforts, and within ten minutes of the restart, his frustration would be gone as he turned supplier, finding the elusive Guilavogui in plenty of space just outside the box. He set himself and finished powerfully past Schwolow’s right-hand side for his second of the night.

This would be the cue for St. Pauli to allow Union to have more possession to step up. Querfeld and Doekhi both hit long balls towards Jordan in the box, but each time they were batted away by the home defence, happy to nullify the aerial threat.

When Hollerbach latched onto Leite’s humongous pass, the ball bouncing in his favour, he opted to shoot when benes was crying out for a square pass on the edge of the box. His shot flew well over the bar.

With an hour played, Baumgart threw his cards on the table, bringing off Jordan and Querfeld, replacing them with Kevin Volland and Yorbe Vertessen respectively. Yet, despite the constant calls from the Union fans packing their away end, Union could not find any real rhythm to pull themselves back into the game. They would be joined by Tim Skarke and Tom Rothe ten minutes later, on for Skov and Haberer.

However, the only luck which went their way was on the 65^th minute mark, when Weißhaupt saw his looping shot clip the base of the back post after Philipp Treu somehow won the ball from Doekhi, as the Union centre-back was barged off balance.

Vertessen had provided some impetus through to Union’s attacks, and it was from his run that Hollerbach saw his next shot whizz away from its path towards goal, off the boot speculatively stuck out by Nemeth.

Schwolow saved well from Weißhaupt as Guilavogui skipped past Leite, the Portugues's calls for offside disappearing helplessly into the chilly evening air. Vertessen’s volley from the right-hand side was added to the many which had struck a St. Pauli defender. Everything that had come their way was cleared all evening long, despite Union now playing Skarke and Vertessen, right and left-hand side, either side of Volland and Hollerbach.

The hosts were now packing their half, waiting to strike on the counter-attack, constantly absorbing Union’s pressure. Vasilj got down to Leite’s header from an 80^th minute free-kick out on the left-hand side, and it was only the sharp covering back of Juranović that caused enough of an issue for Oladapo Afolayan to shoot just over as he darted into the space left by Union at the back.

Rothe rose well but could not manage to guide his header towards goal with eighty-two minutes gone as the ball flashed wide. Skarke then won a corner for Union out on right-hand side. It was hit low towards the near post where Volland flicked it on cleverly, and the clearance was met by a vicious Hollerbach volley from distance. Still, it would not go on target.

With the four minutes of added time almost up, there was a final kick to the collective Union throat, as Guilavogui’s backheel took a touch and fell all too kindly for Daniel Sinani to smash his shot first time into the roof of the net.

As Juranović said, ‘It really wasn't a good performance from us today. They put us under pressure from the very first minute and we had a lot of problems with that. We now have to work through that and analyse it.”

It was a bitter end.