Tudor happy as PAOK hold Dortmund

So near but so far. PAOK were in touching distance of breaking a 34-year duck and tasting victory against German opposition for the first time since 1981, only for Borussia Dortmund to earn a 1-1 draw in Salonika in UEFA Europa League Group C.

Some might say justice was done. Yes, Róbert Mak's classy first-half strike was worthy of winning any game. But then PAOK's defensive mistake to let Gonzalo Castro's intended pass trickle into the net was the kind of error that suggests you do not quite deserve the win.

Coach Igor Tudor certainly felt PAOK's fans should be happy with their lot despite being so close to a historic victory, two days after compatriots Olympiacos had ended a 50-year wait for a win in England – beating Arsenal 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League.

"The draw is a satisfying result for us in the end," said Tudor. "Dortmund are a very good team, better than us. But that's why football is the most popular sport in the world, because it's not always the best team that wins, and we were close to proving that theory. Dortmund dominated on the pitch, so we should be happy with the result."

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Wise words from PAOK's Croatian trainer, who has made quite an impact since taking over in the summer. Favouring a 3-5-2 formation which worked wonders in frustrating Dortmund and creating chances for his team on the break, he appears to have found a perfect blend of youth and experience in this PAOK side.

Defender Dimitris Konstantinidis, 21, was full of energy on Thursday and managed to mute the double threat of Adnan Januzaj and Park Joo Ho down Dortmund's left, while Mak and Ergys Kaçe showed they can match some of Europe's top players.

And with experienced campaigners such as Alexandros Tziolis – who put in a stellar shift in central midfield – Giorgos Tzavellas and, of course, Dimitar Berbatov, who was rather isolated but still managed to thrill with a couple of neat touches, the recipe seems to be coming together. Watch this space.