Castro rescues a point for dominant Dortmund

Boris Rupert reporting from Thessaloniki

A crowd of 26,000 watched Borussia dominate proceedings despite lining up in an unusual formation, though it was deep into the second half before the visitors created any chances of note. Instead, Mak broke the deadlock for the Greeks with what proved to be their first and only attack of the opening 45 minutes (43). The Black and Yellows restored parity through Castro in the 72nd minute, but a last-gasp winner eluded them as they poured forward in the latter stages.

The scenario: 
PAOK have found their feet domestically following a poor start to the season, winning their last three matches to move up to fourth place. On matchday 1 of their UEFA Europa League campaign, the men from Thessaloniki drew 0-0 with Gabala FC in Azerbaijan. Borussia Dortmund, who have not lost away in this competition since 2003 (six wins, three draws), were looking to build on their matchday 1 victory over FC Krasnodar (2-1) by picking up another three points. "If we play our game, then we have a good chance of winning this one," said Gonzalo Castro in the pre-match press conference.

Personnel matters: 
With Bundesliga matches last Sunday against Darmstadt (2-2) and Bayern Munich this coming weekend, Thomas Tuchel made eight changes to his starting line-up. "But this is not out of a lack of respect for our opposition. Absolutely everything will be demanded of us physically in these two matches, so we need a fully fit team for each one," he said. Reus, Mkhitaryan and Weigl remained in the side as the coach brought in fresh legs in the other eight positions. But it's not the biggest example of rotation in Borussia Dortmund's history either: former coach Jürgen Klopp made ten changes to the team that beat Düsseldorf 2-1 between the 2013 UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Real Madrid (4-1, 0-2).

Tactics: 
PAOK lined up in a defensive-minded 5-3-2 formation but switched to a 3-5-2 each time they gained possession, requiring Konstantinidis (right) and Rodrigues to cover a lot of ground on the flanks. Kace and Tziolis packed the centre of midfield, often supported by Sabo. Borussia Dortmund took to the field in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Reus spearheading the attack and Mkhitaryan just behind him. Each time the Black and Yellows got the ball, defensive midfielder Castro (playing alongside Weigl) pushed forward and sought to support his team-mates in attack.

The match & analysis:
There was an electric atmosphere in the stadium before the match, though the vociferous home support died down slightly as PAOK made a cautious start to the match. Saloniki were happy to sit back in their own third, allowing the Black and Yellows to rack up over 70 per cent possession in the first period. Indeed, the Greeks showed real respect for the Bundesliga's second-placed side, refraining from aggressive pressing as they focused entirely on being solid at the back.

BVB created a few early chances, with Hofmann volleying narrowly wide from the right of the penalty area after receiving the ball from Reus in the second minute. Then, Bender came close to scoring with a header from a corner (12). Hofmann (15) and Castro, who forced 'keeper Olsen into a save with his feet following a one-two with Adnan Januzaj in the 25th minute, had further chances to open the scoring for a BVB side that clearly dominated proceedings in the first half. A short while later, Costa cleared the ball away desperately as Reus looked ready to pounce.

Yet it was PAOK who took the lead with their first and only real attack of the first 45 minutes. Tziolis played a long ball down the right wing to Mak, who accelerated towards goal before hammering the ball in off the underside of the bar from seven metres out. Subotic, who dived in trying to block the ex-Nuremberg man's effort, and custodian Weidenfeller were left with no chance. The opener, which might well have been disallowed for offside, turned the game on its head.

In the 48th minute, referee Taylor stopped the match for 60 seconds after flares were lit in the Borussia Dortmund block and fired from the PAOK section.

Black and Yellows bombard the PAOK box

With over an hour of the match gone, Tuchel tinkered with his team in three positions by making two changes (Ramos and Schmelzer came on for Mkhitaryan and Weigl): Reus moved back into attacking midfield, lining up on the left in place of Januzaj, who moved into the centre. Park moved into defensive midfield to join Castro, who shifted across to the right (65).

Minutes later Schmelzer was presented with a chance on his weaker right foot, but his effort skimmed the right post and went wide.

With the Black and Yellows bombarding Saloniki's penalty area, the equaliser was just a matter of time. Reus forced 'keeper Olsen into a save from a free kick (71) before a stroke of genius from Hofmann made it 1-1. Schmelzer played the ball from the left into the middle to Castro, who chipped the ball into the area. Hofmann ran in, feigning to touch the ball but pulling back his foot at the last moment to fool Olsen (72). Although Castro had scored in the friendly away to FC St. Pauli, the goal was his first in a competitive match for his new club.

Though the vast majority of the match was being played in one half of the pitch, PAOK almost retook the lead with their second chance of the match. A misunderstanding between Weidenfeller and Subotic saw the ball fall to Silva in the visitors' box, but the Dortmund shot-stopper redeemed himself (82) and cleared the ball away for a corner.

The visitors dominated the closing stages, too. Schmelzer drilled the ball in low from the byline, hitting a Greek defender who deflected it towards goal, only for PAOK custodian Olsen to make the save (86). Two minutes later, Park's long-range effort flew narrowly wide of the goal.

Prospects: 
Matchday 3 of the UEFA Europa League will see BVB travel away once again, this time facing Azerbaijani outfit Gabala FC in Baku on 22 October (kick-off 17:00 CET). The advance ticket sales for the return match against the men from Azerbaijan on 5 November (19:00 CET) will begin this Monday for members and Tuesday for non-members. Season ticket holders will be informed of the next direct debit payment date on Friday. BVB next face an away Bundesliga trip to Bayern Munich this Sunday (kick-off 17:30 CET).

Teams & goals