Second division St. Pauli’s keeper Philipp Tschauner had come miles out of his box in the last minute of the game against Paderborn – muscling in among his teammates for a corner kick just before the final whistle.

He leaped up and headed the ball into the net in front of a home crowd of more than 28,000 at Hamburg’s Millerntor Stadium.

The header helped Pauli secure a 2-2 draw.

“It’s unique – something you’ve always dreamed of,” Tschauner said, with tears in his eyes. “I’m just happy that I got the chance to experience it during my football career.”

The last-minute goal sparked celebrations on the field by Tschauner’s teammates – and garnered special praise from Pauli coach Michael Frontzeck.

“Tschauni really got it in there,” he said. “He’s just a big guy who’s difficult to defend against. It was a really important point for us today.”

Tschauner’s header kept 12th-placed St. Pauli from sinking further in the second-division standings. With 33 points, they’re just nine away from the relegation zone.

After a scoreless first half, Pauli were the first to strike, with a goal by Marius Ebbers in the 53rd minute. But Paderborn’s Deniz Yilmaz fired back with the equaliser just three minutes later, putting the guests on the board.

Less than half an hour later, former Pauli striker Mahir Saglik had his ex-club playing catch-up, with an 84th-minute goal that gave Paderborn the lead. Tschauner took the other end of the field before the final whistle to secure the game-saving goal for Pauli.

DPA/The Local/arp