Schalke remain grounded, says Barnetta

Schalke winger Tranquillo Barnetta talked down his side’s Champions League hopes, despite helping them to a 2-1 win over Olympiakos.

Benedikt Howedes gave the Bundesliga side the lead in the opening 45 minutes of Tuesday’s Group B curtain raiser, before Djamel Abdoun restored parity in the second half.

Nevertheless, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar ensured the Germans claimed all three points with a calm finish, much to the satisfaction of Barnetta, who reflected on a ‘crazy’ game in Piraeus.

“It’s still very early in the competition to say what we can achieve,” Barnetta told UEFA’s official website.

“We want to play at a high level consistently and take points. We have made an important step, but there is still a long way to go to achieving qualification.

“We did what we set out to do against Olympiakos: win the match in a very intense atmosphere.

“We managed to score the opener, then had a very good chance to make it 2-0 but didn’t. Afterwards, they equalised.

“We took the lead again almost immediately, and then wasted a penalty. It was a crazy match, but we won and that’s what matters.”

Schalke lock horns with Montpellier on October 3 in their second group game.