After Schalke suffered an unwanted reverse against Magdeburg and Pauli took a big step towards promotion with a win over top-two rivals Kiel, Hamburg picked up victory in Steffen Baumgart's bow at home to Elversberg. Holstein Kiel St. Pauli opened up a sizeable lead on the promotion play-off spot after beating second-placed Holstein Kiel in a seven-goal thriller.
The Bundesliga 2 pacesetters were up at half-time, thanks to Oladapo Afolayan's brace and Marcel Hartel's 12th goal of the campaign. Shuto Machino reduced the arrears after the restart, only for Pauli's Connor Metcalfe and Jackson Irvine to combine for a goal made in Australia and restore Paul's three-goal advantage.
Substitutes Joshua Mees and Alexander Bernhardsson struck to pull Kiel to within one goal of an equaliser, before Bernhardsson missed a great chance to level. The Dinos started the day 10 points back from league-leading rivals St. Pauli and having won just one of their previous four league games, a run that ultimately led to the departure of Baumgart predecessor, Tim Walter.
It's just the start Baumgart would have wanted and gives HSV the platform to build a renewed promotion push. Hosts Magdeburg strengthened their position away from the Bundesliga 2 drop zone - and increased Schalke's relegation fears as a result - following a first-half masterclass at the MDCC-Arena.
Baris Atik teed up Silas Gnaka, who applied a tidy finish for before Mohammed El Hankouri increased the hosts' lead from the penalty spot after Cedric Brunner fouled Tatsuya Ito in the area. Ito then weighed in with a goal of his own in first-half stoppage time to all but end Schalke's challenge and leave the Royal Blues precariously placed and with plenty to ponder.
