"Thanks VAR": Blessin is upset about the lack of a penalty

Alexander Blessin and FC St. Pauli drew 0-0 with Werder Bremen. IMAGO/Kirchner-Media

"If one coach is happy with one half and less so with the other, then the opposite is usually true for the other. That's also the case in this case," Bremen's Ole Werner aptly described the feelings of both coaches at the subsequent press conference.

In fact, FCSP coach Alexander Blessin was mainly positive about his team's performance in the first half - and his counterpart in the second half.

Aside from the "bitterness to look for the finish," the Kiezkickers, in their coach's view, "did really well in the first half at the Weserstadion." In the game against the ball, "we were really good," Blessin explained to DAZN , "and with the ball, we always had good relays." Unlike the second half, in which St. Pauli "suffered a bit."

The 51-year-old attributed the shifting momentum to both his own performance and that of his opponent after the break: "We couldn't find the right height, didn't follow up well, and then you see the quality" that SVW possesses going forward. "It was already a bit of a dicey situation."

"Tense" is also the key word for the much-discussed situation in the 71st minute. Elias Saad had zipped past Werder defender Marco Friedl before reaching the edge of the penalty area, and then there was clear contact with his leg in the penalty area. However, the challenge did not result in a penalty – much to the annoyance of the visitors and the relief of Friedl, who admitted the contact himself afterward.

"What should I say now?" was Blessin's initial reaction after examining the slow-motion footage. "Elias' face says it all; he obviously goes cleanly through and is clearly ahead. So yes: thanks VAR," the St. Pauli coach commented on the scene with a mixture of sarcasm and incomprehension.