BERLIN, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Franco di Santo's hat rick against Asteras Tripolis secured Schalke the second victory in Group K at UEFA Europa League's group stage on Thursday.
The "Royal Blues" took over from the opening whistle while Greek side Asteras Tripolis lurked for fast break deep in their territory.
Leroy Sane came close to open the scoring for the hosts but the youngster pulled wide with just two minutes into the game. Due Schalke's lack of penetration and Asteras' well-positioned defence, the hosts had to wait until the 28th minute to break the deadlock as Sascha Riether's cross into the box allowed Franco di Santo to tap home from central position.
Schalke piled on the pressure and were able to double their advantage only eights minutes later after di Santo nodded home a corner kick by Johannes Geis. However, the Argentina international wasn't done with the scoring as he wrapped up his treble before the break from the penalty spot.
The Greek visitors continued to pose no threat for the "Knappen", thus Klaas Jan Huntelaar rounded off the victory by making it 4-0 on the scoreboards with six minutes remaining.
With the second successive triumph Schalke top Group K with six points followed by Sparta Praha and Asteras both with one point, and APOEL with zero points.