PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG scored twice as Borussia Dortmund eased into the Europa League quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane, meaning the Bundesliga side progressed 5-1 on aggregate.
Striker Aubameyang ended any slender hopes Tottenham had of overhauling a 3-0 deficit from the first leg when he launched a long-range shot beyond goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the 24th minute.
The Gabon international took his tally for the season to 35 with a second goal in the 70th minute, with Lloris failing to keep out a powerful drive that deflected into the net off the Frenchman’s right arm.
Neven Subotic’s weak back-pass allowed Son Heung-min the chance to cut the deficit in half with 17 minutes to play, although his effort was no more than a consolation for a Tottenham side who were thoroughly outplayed over the two legs.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side can now focus on their bid to win the Premier League after suffering their first home loss in Europe in 10 outings.
The Tottenham manager — who said prior to the game that he wanted his team to show the defeat in Germany was an “accident” — left Harry Kane on the bench, while midfield duo Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen were missing from the squad entirely.
The hosts lost Ben Davies inside 13 minutes, as the left-back had to be taken off with a head injury following a collision with team-mate Lloris.
Tottenham just began to pose a threat when Dortmund broke the deadlock.
Given time and space to turn just outside the area, Aubameyang let fly with a right-footed effort that kept on moving away from the diving Lloris to find the net.
The striker could have had a second before the break. A slip by Kevin Wimmer gifted him possession, yet he dallied too long when clean through, allowing Toby Alderweireld to get back and make a crucial tackle.
The Belgian defender also produced a key block to deny Henrikh Mkhitaryan in first-half stoppage time.
Tottenham’s only real chance of note in the first 45 minutes fell to Son, but he failed to even hit the target when played in on goal by Erik Lamela’s pass.
Aubameyang was guilty of wasting a glorious chance to add to Dortmund’s tally soon after the interval, blazing wide with his left foot after racing clear of the defence.
However, he did get his second of the night when he provided the finish to Mkhitaryan’s pass, meaning he has now scored nine times in the competition during a campaign that started at the third qualifying round.
Visiting manager Thomas Tuchel would have been disappointed to concede late on, with Son making the most of Subotic’s accidental assist to round goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller and score.
Still, it was one of the few times Dortmund put a foot wrong over 180 minutes of dominance.
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