Blessin and Hecking congratulate each other | OneFootball

Despite a home defeat to Bochum, St. Pauli secured their status for next season’s Bundesliga. Alexander Blessin’s side finished the campaign with the lowest goals scored in the league, but their stingy defense was a big factor in deciding the relegation battle in their favor.

“Congratulations to Dieter and VfL Bochum, and all the best for the future,” said Blessin after the game. “Last week, we reached the peak of our game. But then, there was a drop in tension. We actually wanted to give something back to the spectators today, and played quite good in the first few minutes.

“We can criticize a lot of things today. But I'm not letting this game affect the team. We performed really well over the last 33 matchdays and deserved to stay in the league. We're looking forward to another year in the Bundesliga, and want to achieve the same thing then.”

Similarly, Bochum’s coach Dieter Hecking started his post-match press conference by congratulating his peer. “Congratulations to Alex and FC St. Pauli on their well-deserved relegation. That should not be taken for granted. It’s rather a testament to their outstanding work,” commented the experienced coach.

“The disappointment was great. Our performance today was okay. We played with concentration and only conceded a few chances. We also had a few good moments in transition. We've had a lot of setbacks in the last few months. In the end, we deserved to be relegated with 25 points. Now it's time to look ahead.”

Bochum have already confirmed that they will continue with Hecking in their bid to win promotion back to the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, their captain Anthony Losilla played his last game before going into retirement.