HSV vs St. Pauli: 5 Classic Clashes Between Hamburg's Great Rivals
By Chris Deeley
The Hamburg Derby is part of 90min's 50 Biggest Derbies in the World Series
One of the great unsung rivalries in German football, the Hamburg derby has been dominated by HSV over the years – they've won more than 60% of the clashes, which (trust us) is massive.
The rivalry's still burned bright off the pitch though, especially with St. Pauli's political and feisty group of fans, which makes those rare occasions when it kicks off on the pitch all the more special.
Hamburg 0-1 St. Pauli, 2011
Probably the most meaningful Hamburg derby match of the last half-century saw St. Pauli break a 34-year drought in the fixture, thanks to Gerald Asamoah's second-half header.
How meaningful was it? Let's just repeat that number, St. Pauli hadn't won a Hamburg derby in thirty four years. This game, at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion, had already been postponed for poor pitch conditions and the atmosphere in the build-up was poisonous as the underdogs returned to the Bundesliga for the first time in a decade.
On one side, Ruud van Nistelrooy, a young Son Heung-min, Ze Roberto and Tomas Rincon. On the other, Asamoah and former HSV youth product Benedikt Pliquett, who had been attacked by some HSV fans at a train station earlier that season. And St. Pauli won. Of course, just like the last time they'd beaten Hamburg...they finished bottom and got relegated anyway.
Hamburg 4-3 St. Pauli, 2001
Comebacks are brilliant. Comebacks in derbies are better. But comebacks that fall just short after setting up a brilliant finale? They're some of the noblest of them all.
What are we saying here? Well, we're saying that St. Pauli went in at half time 3-0 down, were 4-1 down with 35 minutes left to play and then André Trulsen – 36 years old, best part of 400 games for the club under his belt – scored twice to take the match into the last five minutes with just a single goal in it.
They didn't make it, the game finished 4-3; but a scorching one. Oh, and St. Pauli finished bottom and were relegated. Again.
Hamburg 6-0 St. Pauli, 1986
No idea. Don't know anything about this match, except that it finished 6-0 and remains the only time the pair have faced each other in the DFB-Pokal. That's good enough.
Hamburg went on to win the competition that season, beating Stuttgarter Kickers – now playing in the German fifth tier – and that victory remains their most recent major trophy.
Hamburg 0-2 St. Pauli (2020)
The most recent Hamburg derby, but no less dramatic and important because of it.
HSV's relegation in 2018 means that the pair have been playing in the same division for consecutive seasons for the first time since the mid-90s, with the establishment club on unfamiliar shaky ground. That shaky ground was rocked once again in February when Henk Veerman and Matt Penney hit first-half goals at the Volksparkstadion to secure St. Pauli's first league double over Hamburg in the fixture's history.
In front of 5,586 travelling (well, 'travelling') fans, Penney - on loan from Sheffield Wednesday - fired home from outside the box to cement a lead that the visitors never looked like giving up.
By the way, Arsenal fans. Remember Ryo Miyaichi? Well, this is where he plays now. Fun, eh?
For more from Chris Deeley, follow him on Twitter at @ThatChris1209