RB Leipzig dropped late points again as Martijn Kaars scored a stoppage-time penalty to earn St. Pauli a 1-1 draw at Millerntor-Stadion. Yan Diomande had earlier put Leipzig in front, but a foul by David Raum on Kaars in added time meant Ole Werner's struggling side claimed a valuable point.
The result hurt Leipzig in the top-four battle, as Hoffenheim capitalised with a 2-0 victory at Werder Bremen. That win moved Hoffenheim three points clear of Leipzig in the Bundesliga standings, underlining how costly Leipzig's failure to see out leads has become this season.
St. Pauli created the better openings after a nervous Leipzig start and could have led before half-time. Ricky-Jade Jones raced clear for the hosts but dragged a low shot wide with only
Peter Gulacsi to beat. That miss came after Xaver Schlager had almost struck early for Leipzig at the other end.
Leipzig had already gone close in the eighth minute when Schlager's effort from the edge of the area hit the base of the right post, with Nikola Vasilj beaten. The visitors then survived more pressure but nearly stole the lead in first-half stoppage time, when Romulo shot wide after a pass from Christoph Baumgartner.
The breakthrough arrived for Leipzig in the 66th minute, from a set-piece that St. Pauli failed to clear. Raum's corner was headed away only as far as Diomande on the edge of the box, and Diomande's right-footed strike deflected off Eric Smith, wrong-footing Vasilj and nestling into the net.
St. Pauli stayed in the contest and pushed hard during the closing stages, with Werner using his bench to add energy. The turning point came when Raum slipped inside the area during stoppage time and clattered into substitute Kaars. Kaars took responsibility from 12 yards and converted confidently to secure a draw for St. Pauli.
A late penalty sees us held to a draw at the Millerntor-Stadion FT | 1-1 | #FCSPRBL pic.twitter.com/GCoSFJWGkrRB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) January 27, 2026
Hoffenheim took full advantage of Leipzig's slip with a composed performance in Bremen. Alexander Prass put Hoffenheim ahead on 44 minutes with a powerful strike. Wouter Burger then received a red card seven minutes after half-time for a high challenge on Cameron Puertas following a lengthy VAR check, but Grischa Promel soon added a second with a precise finish into the top corner.
The meeting at Millerntor-Stadion continued a poor away record for Leipzig against St. Pauli. The two clubs started the match 12 places apart in the Bundesliga table, yet Leipzig have still never won an away competitive fixture at St. Pauli, with this draw making it two defeats and two draws from four visits.
Expected goals figures backed up the sense that St. Pauli could have taken all three points against RB Leipzig. The hosts generated 1.45 xG from seven attempts, compared with Leipzig's 1.09 from 10 shots, with Jones missing St. Pauli's best opening of the first half.
Leipzig did at least climb to fourth place, but dropped points from leading positions remain a major issue in their Bundesliga campaign. Leipzig have now surrendered 13 points after going ahead in league games this season. Only Koln, with 16, and Wolfsburg, with 18, have let more points slip once in front.
