“Heute ist wunderbar: Er ist zurück ……. mehr dazu”

“Heute ist wunderbar: Er ist zurück ……. mehr dazu”

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — The pirate flag is flying in the Bundesliga again.

St. Pauli returned to Germany’s top division after a 13-year absence on Sunday with a 3-1 win over relegated Osnabrück in the second division.

Oladapo Afolayan scored twice and set up Marcel Hartel for St. Pauli’s third goal as the home team moved top of the league with an unassailable six-point lead over third-place Fortuna Düsseldorf with one round remaining.

At the final whistle, St. Pauli fans stormed the field at the club’s Millerntor Stadium — a short walk from Hamburg’s famous red-light district — getting the party underway beneath a clear blue sky.

“I’m so happy for the team, for the whole city. We’ve earned it,” St. Pauli coach Fabian Hürzeler said. “I’m very, very happy to be able to coach this team. The success comes from hard work.”

The pirate skull-and-crossbones is synonymous with St. Pauli, popularized by fans who identified as punks. It was first carried by squatters who lived nearby and became a hit when the supporters opened an independent fan shop in 1989. The club eventually purchased the licensing rights in 2000 and co-opted it as an official emblem.