Cultures collide as Leipzig sees off St. Pauli's challenge to stay 4th in Bundesliga

BERLIN (AP) — Xavi Simons and Benjamin Šeško scored and Leipzig held on to defend fourth place in the Bundesliga with a 2-0 win over promoted St. Pauli on Sunday.

Xavi and Šeško’s first-half goals were enough for Leipzig to stay in the last spot for Champions League qualification, one point clear of Stuttgart with 13 rounds remaining.

Leipzig needed to hold on from the 69th minute, when captain Willi Orbán was sent off for a foul on Elias Saad in front of goal, but goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi was alert to deny Johannes Eggestein and Hauke Wahl with good St. Pauli chances late on.

Xavi set up Seško with a perfectly weighted forward pass for the opener. The Slovenia forward did well to elude defender David Nemeth before shooting inside the far post in the 16th minute, then he returned the favor for Xavi to score in the 35th.

The game itself produced a contrast between teams of vastly different backgrounds.

Leipzig was founded by energy drink manufacturer Red Bull to promote its product in 2009, when Hamburg-based St. Pauli was already known for its anti-establishment stance and the pirate skull-and-crossbones emblem popularized by supporters who identified as punks.

Earlier, bottom two Holstein Kiel and Bochum delivered a hard-fought 2-2 draw. Four players had to go off injured.

Myron Boadu scored two goals in as many minutes after Steven Skrzybski’s early penalty for promoted Kiel, before David Zec headed in a free kick from American defender John Tolkin to equalize.

It was Tolkin’s first assist in his third appearance since joining from the New York Red Bulls – another team belonging to the energy drink company’s global network.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Kiel's Lewis Holtby in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between Holstein Kiel - VfL Bochum at the Holstein-Stadion, Kiel, Germany, Sunday Feb. 9, 2025. (Frank Molter/dpa via AP)

Kiel's David Zec celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between Holstein Kiel - VfL Bochum at the Holstein-Stadion, Kiel, Germany, Sunday Feb. 9, 2025. (Frank Molter/dpa via AP)

St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin arrives at the stadium before a Bundesliga soccer match against Leipzig, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, center, fails to beat St. Pauli's James Sands, left, and Eric Smith during a Bundesliga soccer match in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Amadou Haidara goes up for the ball against St. Pauli's Jackson Irvine during a Bundesliga soccer match in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Xavi Simons, center, scores against St. Pauli goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj during a Bundesliga soccer match in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Xavi Simons, left, cheers for Benjamin Sesko, center, after scoring as St. Pauli's Philipp Treu, left, and Jackson Irvine react during a Bundesliga soccer match in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Ridle Baku, left, and St. Pauli's Siebe Van der Heyden fight for the ball during a Bundesliga soccer match in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

Leipzig's Xavi Simons celebrates after scoring during a Bundesliga soccer match against St. Pauli in Leipzig, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)