Hoffenheim Dismantles St. Pauli at Millerntor – VAR Writes the Final Chapter

Skip It Futmetrix Score: 29/100. At Millerntor-Stadion, St. Pauli endured an afternoon of humiliation as Hoffenheim struck with surgical precision, only for VAR to extinguish the hosts' final hope with a disallowed goal in the 90th minute.

Hoffenheim's Second-Half Masterclass: Ruthless Efficiency

After the restart, St. Pauli's fate was sealed. Bazoumana Touré opened the floodgates in the 54th minute, set up by Andrej Kramarić, who emerged as the orchestrator of Hoffenheim's assault. With relentless intensity, the visitors overwhelmed St. Pauli's defence. Kramarić himself doubled the lead four minutes later, courtesy of Vladimír Coufal's assist in the 59th minute. The midfielder was far more than a goalscorer—his four key passes proved he was the architect of Hoffenheim's dominance, bending the match to his team's will.

The Substitute's Dagger and VAR's Intervention

Grischa Prömel entered the pitch in the 71st minute and needed just eight minutes to find the back of the net—a textbook example of how balance between tactical planning and clinical finishing decides elite matches. Hoffenheim's control was suffocating: 14 shots, 5 on target, against St. Pauli's meagre 10 attempts. The xG gulf (2.34 to 0.99) told the story of a one-sided affair.

Yet VAR reserved the final word. In the 90th minute, the video assistant referee disallowed Danel Sinani's goal for St. Pauli—a moment that reignited the match's stakes far too late. Hoffenheim leaves Millerntor-Stadion with a flawless 3-0 victory, consolidating their position in the table's upper reaches, whilst St. Pauli sinks deeper into crisis.