A first half hat-trick from Franco Di Santo sealed all three points for Schalke 04 against Asteras Tripolis, as the Bundesliga club extended their lead in Group K.
The first of the Argentine’s goals came midway through the first half when the former Chelsea man got ahead of his marker, finding the bottom of the corner with a deft touch.
Di Santo’s second came less than 10 minutes later. The Schalke forward rose above his defender, meeting the ball with a perfectly timed header following a corner.
Despite completing his hat-trick from the spot, the 26-year-old has failed to get off the mark in the Bundesliga this season – something that he’ll be hoping to put right against 1. FC Köln on Sunday.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar put the game beyond any doubt in the closing stages as the Dutchman added to his two goals against APOEL Nicosia.
Since the arrival of André Breitenreiter, Schalke have collected 16 points from a possible 21 in the league. The former Paderborn manager welcomed back captain Benedikt Höwedes whilst Huntelaar also returned after missing Schalke’s one-nil victory over Hamburger SV.
Asteras Tripolis travelled to Schalke in poor form. With just one win the last five competitions - Staikos Vergetis handed a first Europa League start for Georgios Zisopoulos whilst Brazilian Ederson returned.
The hosts dominated for the opening stages but were unable to carve out any real opportunities. Johannes Geis’ cross almost found the head of Huntelaar before Leroy Sané blazed his effort over the crossbar.
Schalke almost took the lead midway through the first half when Sead Kolašinac ran to the byline – pulling the ball back to Leon Goretzka who forced a save from Konstantinos Theodoropoulos.
Three in quick succession for Franco Di Santo
Persistence paid off for Schalke as they took the lead through summer arrival Di Santo. The Argentine got ahead of his marker and with a brilliant first touch, fired the ball past Theodoropoulos.
Schalke fans had to wait just nine minutes to see Di Santo net his second of the game. The 26-year-old rose above his defender, heading home a corner from Geis.
The third goal soon came from Schalke and Di Santo. Dutch referee Pol van Boekel awarded Schalke a penalty after an alleged handball which gave the Bundesliga club a three-nil lead heading into half-time.
Almost a fourth for Schalke 04
Kaan Ayhan made an almost instant impact following the departure of Geis at half-time. The 20-year-old struck his free-kick with great precision, forcing Theodoropoulos into making a fine save.
Sané would survive the 90 minutes whilst Breitenreiter awarded game time to Max Meyer in the closing stages. The German international had the chance to extend Schalke's lead in the closing stages, but the 20-year-old was unable to find the net from close range.
Huntelaar finally got his goal after being a threat all night. The Dutch hitman scored his 49th goal in Europe after slotting the ball past the stranded Theodoropoulos.