Germany defender Dennis Aogo had a nasty surprise on Wednesday when his bag was stolen while he gave TV interviews before Schalke's flight to Ukraine for a Europa League game.

The 29-year-old was being interviewed at Cologne/Bonn airport before flying to Lviv to play Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday in the round of 32, first-leg clash, when his carry-on luggage, containing his laptop, passport and plane ticket, was stolen.

"The bag was stolen from me during some interviews. It was standing behind an advertising board," the red-faced Aogo told German daily Bild.

"My passport and plane ticket were also inside."

Aogo initially thought the bag had been taken as a practical joke by his Schalke team-mates, but it quickly emerged that it had been stolen and initially, it was unclear whether Aogo could fly without his passport.

Fortunately, the police were able to issue him with a provisional passport, so he could fly with his team-mates, and then scanned the airport's CCTV cameras to see if they could catch the thief.

It was a stressful start to the away match as Aogo, who has made 12 appearances for Germany, looks to play his first match since November after an Achilles tendon injury.