In a huge relegation six-pointer, Pauli knew all three points would see them leapfrog Bremen into 16th position, and it was the hosts who had the best chance inside the first 10 minutes.
Arkadiusz Pykra played Martijn Kaars into space, but his tame effort was easily saved by Mio Backhaus. At the other end, Justin Nijnmah fired his attempt high and wide of the target after breaking into a promising position during an evenly-matched opening to the encounter.
Despite not tasting a Bundesliga victory since November against Wolfsburg, Bremen began to grow in confidence, and Jens Stage had a golden opportunity to put his side in front.
The ball dropped fortuitously into his path inside the box, but he lost composure at the vital moment and blazed well wide of the right post.
That was the best chance either side mustered in an uninspiring first half, and arguably explains why they are two of the league’s three lowest scorers this campaign.
An action-packed start to the second half, though, saw the match spark into life. After Samuel Mbangula fired the game’s first shot on target from range, Bremen goalkeeper Backhaus committed a huge error to let Hauke Wahl’s header squirm underneath his grasp as Pauli took the lead.
However, the visitors didn’t let that mistake derail their confidence, as substitute Jovan Milosevic slammed the ball past a sea of bodies to equalise.
Pauli entered this clash with only 11 goals from open play in the Bundesliga so far this term, yet they grabbed their 12th in the 70th minute.
Joel Chima Fujita jinked inside and unleashed an unstoppable strike into the bottom left corner to score his first Bundesliga goal.
Bremen pushed and probed for a vital equaliser, but the hosts stood strong defensively to seal a crucial victory in the battle against relegation.
This result means Pauli have lost just two of their last six, breathing new life into their quest to beat the drop, but Bremen have failed to win any of their previous 13 and are in the bottom two.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Hauke Wahl (St Pauli)
