Ricky-Jade Jones marked his Bundesliga debut with a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure a valuable point for St. Pauli, ending their run of nine consecutive defeats.
Said El Mala missed an opportunity early on to give his side the lead, the German youth international’s poor first touch allowed the ball to get away from him. But, six minutes after the break, the 19-year-old raced through on goal from his own half before slotting the ball past Nikola Vasilj to score his sixth Bundesliga goal of the season.
Lacking bite in the attacking third, Alexander Blessin introduced Jones in the 68th minute. A pivotal moment came in the second minute of stoppage time when 1. FC Köln missed a clear cut opportunity to take a 2-0 lead. Florian Kainz opted to take a shot on himself, when a pass to Isak Jóhannesson would have been the better option.
A moment of joy for Ricky-Jade Jones and St. Pauli
Lukas Kwasniok’s side were then made to rue missed chances with substitute Daniel Sinani crossed the ball from St. Pauli’s left. Jones rose highest to get a flick on the ball, guiding it towards the far post and past Marvin Schwabe, who slipped.
Jones’s goal secured a first point for St. Pauli since mid-September and with a large travelling contingent (around 5,000 fans), the Englishman’s goal was celebrated profusely at full-time.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder, reporting from the RheinEnergieStadion.
