MX23RW : Tuesday, March 19 04:42:51| >> :600:4732024:4732024:
[monks data]
PAOK
Champions League | Playoffs
Aug 27, 2013 at 7.45pm UK
 
Schalke

2-3

Athanasiadis (53'), Katsouranis (79')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Szalai (43', 90'), Draxler (67')
Jones (64')

Schalke qualify for group stages with victory

Schalke qualify for the Champions League group stages thanks to a 3-2 (agg: 4-3) victory over PAOK Salonika

A 4-3 aggregate score was enough to see Schalke through to the Champions League group stages on the away goals rule following a 3-2 win over PAOK Salonika on Tuesday evening.

Schalke, knowing they needed at least one goal following the 1-1 draw in Germany, came close to opening the scoring in the second minute when Adam Szalai broke free of the home defence before firing a shot wide.

Salonika struggled to assert their dominance in midfield as the visitors started to take control of proceedings with some long spells of possession.

However, a lack of quality in the final third of the pitch meant Schalke had to wait until the stroke of half time to take a deserved lead.

Atsuto Uchida found himself in some space and picked out Szalai, who showed great composure to fire past Jacobo Sanz and give his team a 2-1 aggregate lead.

Salonika looked a much more dangerous team after the break, with Giannis Skondras hammering a shot into the side-netting from a tight angle.

The scores were level again in the 53rd minute as Salonika picked apart the Schalke defence and Stefanos Athanasiadis finished confidently to earn parity for the Greek side.

Schalke's hopes of qualification were dealt a blow when Jermaine Jones was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 64th minute.

However, the German side reacted superbly and they regained the lead just three minutes later when Draxler raced away from the Salonika defence before rounding Sanz and tapping the ball in from close range.

Schalke looked destined for the group stages but they were given a scare when Salonika pulled a goal back nine minutes from time, with Kostas Katsouranis heading home an inviting cross from Miroslav Stoch.

Szalai made sure there were no surprises in the closing stages of the contest as the forward collected an inch-perfect pass from Draxler before drilling in his second of the night to secure his team's progress into the group stages.

ID:101206: cacheID:101206:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3447:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Schalke's teammates celebrate scoring during the UEFA Champions League play-off first leg football match Schalke 04 vs Greece's PAOK Salonika in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany on August 21, 2013
Read Next:
PAOK draw with Schalke
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
QBayern651016
QCopenhagen62228
3Galatasaray61235
4Man Utd61144

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
QArsenal641113
QPSV62319
3Lens62228
4Sevilla60242

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
QReal Madrid660018
QNapoli631210
3Braga61144
4Union Berlin60242

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
QReal Sociedad633012
QInter Milan633012
3Benfica61144
4Salzburg61144

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
QAtletico642014
QLazio631210
3Feyenoord62046
4Celtic61144

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
QDortmund632111
QPSG62228
3AC Milan62228
4Newcastle61235

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
QMan City660018
QRB Leipzig640212
3Young Boys61144
4Red Star60151

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
QBarcelona640212
QPorto640212
3Shakhtar63039
4Antwerp61053

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!