Greek side PAOK welcomed Borussia Dortmund in Group C of the Europa League on Thursday night looking to gain their first win in the tournament.
Dortmund dominated the first half in possessional terms, but they were undone just before the break when Robert Mak gave the hosts a surprise lead.
The German side continued to hold control of the ball in the second half, and they eventually found an equaliser through Gonzalo Castro to earn a point from a tough fixture away from home.
Relive all of the action from the game with our minute-by-minute updates below.
Good evening and thank you for joining us as we bring you live coverage as PAOK welcome Borussia Dortmund in Group C of the Europa League.
Thomas Tuchel's men already have three points on the board following their win over Krasnodar. The German club have also been in rather good form in the Bundesliga and find themselves in second spot in the German league table.
As for tonight's hosts, they are still searching for their first win of Group C following their opening-game draw away at Gabala.
Dortmund have come up short in their past two Bundesliga games having drawn two weeks running. However, before that Borussia had reeled off 11 consecutive victories in all competitions.
Tuchel's men have been impressive at the back on the domestic front, where they have conceded six goals in seven league matches. Going forward, Dortmund have scored 36 goals in their last 11 matches.
Dortmund will be confident of going far in the Europa this term given that they have been able to keep hold of key players in the shape of Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Touched has also been able to add the talents of Park Joo-ho from Mainz and Adnan Januzaj over the summer months.
Looking back through history, PAOK have some work to do tonight... The Greek team have failed to beat a German team in a European competition since 1981.
PAOK have been impressive on home soil in the Europa this term, however, with the club having won all three of their games in Greece by scoring 12 goals.
Time for some team news now...
BORUSSIA DORTMUND STARTING XI: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Bender, Subotic, Park, Weigl, Castro, Hofmann, Mkhitaryan, Januzaj, Reus
BORUSSIA DORTMUND SUBSTITUTES: BUrki, Stenzel, Ginter, Fritsch, Schmelzer, Leitner, Ramos
PAOK STARTING XI: Olsen; Miguel Vítor, Ricardo Costa, Konstantinidis, Tzavellas, Tziolis, Mak, Rodrigues, Kace, Sabo, Berbatov
PAOK SUBSTITUTES: Glykos, Malezas, Kitsiou, Charisis, Pelkas, Jairo, Athanasiadis
So the visitors have opted for a front-three that includes Januzaj, Reus and Mkhitaryan. There is also space for Park Joo-ho at the back. For the hosts, former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has been handed his first European start for his new team.
Here are a few snaps from earlier on this evening with some of the Dortmund players exploring the PAOK stadium:
✌️ #paokbvb pic.twitter.com/tzVSqeNhsH
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) September 30, 2015
PAOK will know that Dortmund present the biggest threat in the group and they will probably be looking elsewhere to pick up their major points. However, the Greeks will be aware that snatching a point off the former Champions League finalists could serve them well come the end of the autumn.
Tuchel has given rests to both Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Mats Hummels tonight. It will be interesting to see how Dortmund get on away from home without them.
We have just under 10 minutes to go until kickoff now and it is time for me to make a prediction. Tuchel has fielded a very strong team and they will be fully confident that they can get the job done with flair. I'm going to go 2-0 in favour of the visiting side.
Manchester United fans will be pleased that Januzaj is getting the chance to get some decent game time under his belt, especially on the European stage. The Belgian has been impressive for Dortmund since completing his loan move from the Premier League. He could be an important player for the visitors this evening.
Here is a quick glimpse inside the Dortmund dressing room tonight. They have made eight changes from the side that disappointingly drew with Darmstadt at the weekend:
Tuchel bringt acht frische Kräfte: @JuWeigl, @HenrikhMkh, @woodyinho bleiben #paokbvb https://t.co/a4wnlGxmZQ pic.twitter.com/FNV7jkmS4x
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) October 1, 2015
It appears as if Tuchel wants to get his side qualified for the knockout stages as soon as possible. That is where the winter break tends to come in handy for German sides. They are able to field full strength teams early on knowing that they will all get some respite later on in the season.
Here we go then, the hosts are to get us underway...
KICKOFF! Dortmund win the ball in the PAOK half and proceed to circulate the ball around the back as they attempt to feel their way into the game.
CLOSE! Hofmann does well down the right wing as he looks to send in a cross. The ball is cleared back into his path and he fires off a volley first time that dips just over the crossbar.
The PAOK crowd are roaring already as the hosts push forward at pace. It looks as if Mak is free one-on-one after a flick from Berbatov, but the linesman raises his flag for offside.
The hosts are just starting to thread a few passes together in a bid to suss out this Dortmund team following a whole host of changes from Tuchel. Dortmund come forward through Januzaj who is able to find Reus through the middle. The striker fires across the face of goal before turning to see the linesman with his flag raised.
Nothing much to report in the early stages as both sides look to pass their way into this encounter. Dortmund have perhaps threatened the most down the wings, but they have yet to really muster much in front of goal. The home fans are getting a little agitated already by the slow pace of this game.
Dortmund have possession on the edge of the area where Weigl seeks to slip a ball in behind the defence. He gets a little too much weight on the pass and the ball runs out for a goal kick.
Relentless now from Dortmund as they attack down the left through Castro. He beats his marker and tries to flick the ball with the outside of his boot into Reus, but PAOK shuffle across and head clear. The Germans are starting to take control of this.
Mkhitaryan moves down the right flank with quick feet to win a corner. Januzaj whips in a smart ball into the centre of the box where Bender climbs highest. Unfortunately his header flies a little wide of the target without troubling Olsen in the PAOK goal.
Borussia have assumed total control of possession as it stands and this time the plot a move down the left through Januzaj. The ball out from the middle of the park is a little too strong, though, and the pass runs out of play without the winger being able to latch onto it.
Dortmund look to try something through the middle when Januzaj picks out Hofmann. The midfielder tries something from distance, but his shot is blocked and loops out safely into the hands of Olsen who gathers with ease.
CLOSE! Berbatov thinks that he is in behind the defence to receive a through-ball from the centre of the pitch, but he mistimes his run by a few yards and is ruled out for offside.
The visitors are getting far too much space down the right wing and Mkhitaryan is allowed to send a ball into the centre of the box. Ricardo Costa is able to produce some smart movement, however, to get across just in time to head clear in the middle of the area.
More movement down the right now through Castro, who decides to wind one up from range. Safe to say, he misses the target by a country mile. Dortmund are soon back into another attack down the left where Januzaj buys a cheap free kick. The delivery is a poor one, though, and PAOK head away with ease.
PAOK have not done a thing going forward until now, as Rodriguez moves quickly down the left flank. He is eventually hounded out when Dortmund concede the corner. The delivery is cleared at the first time of asking, though.
CLOSE! It has been all Dortmund thus far but we still find ourselves level after 28 minutes. Mkhitaryan almost creates the first goal when he finds space on the right to flash the ball across the box for Reus, who is outstretched and misses the toe-poke beyond the keeper by a matter of inches.
Dortmund are dominating the midfield areas at the moment and they seem to be winning the ball back as soon as they lose it. This time they come down the left through Januzaj, who wins a corner off Miguel Vítor. The United loanee takes the kick, but the cross is headed away with ease. Lots of possession but no goals for Borussia.
YELLOW CARD! Mkhitaryan concedes a needless yellow for pulling the shirt of Tziolis right under the referee's watchful gaze.
GOAL! PAOK 1-0 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (Robert Mak)
The hosts have done it against the run of play! Mak makes a smart run off the shoulder of the last Dortmund defender and he receives a simple, lofted through-ball from Tziolis. The striker finds himself one-on-one with the keeper at a tight angle, but he keeps his composure to blast high and beyond Weidenfeller in the Dortmund goal. Talk about a sucker punch...
Mak shows some good skill this time on the left after he takes the ball down out of the air. He looks up to ping a wonderful cross-field ball into the path of Berbatov, who drags his shot wide of the goal.
Reus is looking a touch isolated in attack at the moment. The ball is often played into him in the centre, but he has nobody following up in support. The visitors are behind against the run of play, although they do not look too concerned at the moment.
PAOK have the goal they need and they are now seeking to pack the defence. Dortmund are having enough trouble breaking them down as it is and are starting to look a touch frustrated in the final third of the pitch.
The hosts are just trying to take the sting out of Borussia's play in the closing stages of the first half. Lots of short stuff around the back when PAOK have possession. This time they come down the left, but they eventually concede a throw as Dortmund seek to press forward.
CLOSE! Berbatov looks to take a little time out of the game by conceding a needless foul on Park deep inside the Dortmund half. The Germans come back via a free kick, but Weigl cannot get the final touch on the cross to send it past Olsen who stands motionless in the middle of the PAOK goal.
HALF TIME: PAOK 1-0 BORUSSIA DORTMUND
So the referee calls an end to an entertaining first half of football in Greece. Dortmund have bossed possession, but now find themselves a goal down away from home. PAOK have perhaps played the perfect game by picking their time wisely to take advantage on the counter. The Germans will be a little disappointed that they have been unable to muster much in the final third.
Tuchel has rested some key players ahead of Sunday's clash with Bayern Munich and that is perhaps showing when Dortmund move forward. Things seem to be breaking down due to a lack of quality support to Reus. Tuchel will be reluctant to bring too many of his big men on and will probably be quite content to see how his current set of charges do in the second period.
Mak played the perfect strikers role in the goal and his movement has to be applauded, as does the finish. A lot of quality strikers would have found that finish difficult, but he did not panic as he sent his shot beyond the keeper with power. The hosts will be delighted with the lead and they will now continue to pack the defence and look to frustrate the visitors.
That goal represented the hosts' only shot on target in the first half. Dortmund have had three but have been unable to beat Olsen. The Germans have had a massive 64% share of the ball in the first period only to do very little with it.
As it stands in the group's other fixture, Krasnodar hold a slender 1-0 lead over visiting Qabala. The players are now emerging for the start of the second half so we will be back underway pretty soon.
KICKOFF! Dortmund get things moving again and they send the ball straight down into the home corner on the attack. Reus's touch lets him down, however, and PAOK win back possession.
We are having a brief stoppage at the moment as a flair has gone off inside the area for the Dortmund fans. We will be back underway as soon as things have been cleared up in the stands.
The referee has got things moving again and Dortmund push forward into the PAOK half. The visitors still do not have enough to trouble the home side in the central areas and they clear without breaking a sweat.
Dortmund have 19 goals in five European matches this term, but they have been unable to break through in this fixture and look unlucky to do so any time soon. Januzaj has the chance to pick someone out inside the area with a free kick, as you might guess it does not have the required quality and PAOK head away.
CLOSE! The hosts show great pace on the counter attack when Mak breaks beyond the defence to see his shot blocked on its way to goal. Kace follows up on the cleared effort only to see his shot well blocked too. Dortmund will have to be careful of PAOK on the counter when they push men forward for the equaliser.
More of the same now from PAOK as Berbatov feeds a ball out from the middle into the path of Sabo. The attacker does not quite have the skill to beat his marker and the move eventually breaks down just shy of the Borussia box.
Clever! Berbatov brings the ball out of the idea before trying the cheekiest of lobs on Weidenfeller. The ball seeks just a few inches too high of the bar and the keeper's blushes are spared.
Dortmund are arguably losing patience now and they seem to be rushing things a touch on the edge of the PAOK box. Reus is eventually forced wide of the danger zone before seeing his shot blocked by Ricardo Costa.
Piszczek finds some space out on the right from a deep position. He feeds in a perfect swinging ball into the centre of the box, but Reus cannot get on the end of it. The visitors are clearly missing the presence of Aubameyang up top. He would have gobbled that chance up...
SUBSTITUTES: Dortmund make two changes as Mkhitaryan and Weigl are replaced by Ramos and Marcel Schmelzer.
Ramos almost makes an instant impact as he holds up the ball for Castro, who sends a decent ball into the middle of the area. Luckily for PAOK, their defence is awake and they are able to clear with Reus lurking.
More possession from Borussia in a decent position out on the left. Schmelzer gets the ball from out under his feet to send in a cross for Ramos, who rises higher than his marker but gets a bit too much shoulder on his weak effort.
CLOSE! Januzaj produces some good feet just on the edge of the PAOK box to win a free kick off a clumsy Kace. Reus stands over the ball before bending an effort over the wall and down towards the near post, where Olsen gets across to dive and punch clear off the line.
GOAL! PAOK 1-1 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (Gonzalo Castro)
They've done it, but in rather peculiar fashion! Castro sees the run of Hofmann in behind the defence and he looks to find his teammate with a chipped through-ball. The keeper comes to collect as Hofmann also goes to make contact with the ball. Both players miss it and the pass ends up becoming a finish into the bottom corner... Weird.
Can Borussia turn this into a win now? They seem to have picked up the tempo over the past few minutes. Schmelzer moves down the left and is only stopped by the outstretched boot of Konstantinidis. Another ball soon comes in for Ramos, but he cannot get up high enough to connect with his head.
It is all Dortmund at the minute as Piszczek scampers down the right side of the pitch. He cannot find the quality with his cross, however, leaving Tzavellas to clear.
Castro gets his head up just short of the PAOK area and he seeks to find a willing Schmelzer who breaks in behind. For some reason Januzaj gets in the way of the pass and the move breaks down.
CLOSE! Jairo comes forward down the right channel to rob the ball from Subotic and put himself through one-on-one with Weidenfeller, who does well to stand firm and beat away the shot at his near post.
Wave after wave from Dortmund... Schmelzer cannot find a way past the first defender and he earns a corner as a result. The corner kick finds Olsen who takes control of his area under pressure from Subotic.
Five minutes to play, can Dortmund find a winner in the closing minutes? They have enjoyed all of the ball going into the death although the final touch has alluded them.
SAVE! Schmelzer breaks in behind his marker down the left flank and he fizzes in a strong cross towards the centre of the box. The cross is met by a defender and Olsen has to do brilliantly to turn the defection over the crossbar.
CLOSE! Another chance... PAOK are only able to clear their lines as far as an on-rushing Park, who drills a wonderful shot across the ground and just an inch or so wide of Olsen's post.
Hofmann finds some room between the lines and chips in a ball across the face of goal, which sees Konstantinidis alert enough to flick the ball away from a charging Schmelzer inside the area.
We are going to have four minutes of additional time in Greece...
Ramos produces an instinctive run in behind his marker at what appears to be a vital moment, however Leitner is unable to reach him with a through-ball from distance.
FULL TIME: PAOK 1-1 BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Borussia held complete control of the second half and they have been able to come away with a point in Greece. The Germans were far from their best and looked rather lacklustre going forward. Neither side will be too unhappy at the shared spoils and they will look ahead to the remaining games in the group with confidence. That is going to be it from me tonight, thanks for joining us!
Written by
Christopher Dodd
Christopher Dodd
