BVB took a deserved lead on the half-hour, as the dangerous Lukas Piszczek squared for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to lace home the opener. However, Elia Soriano had a couple of chances to bring his side level, but was denied by Mitchell Langerak. An eventful second-half followed, when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled Dortmund's lead. Randy Edwini-Bonsu halved the arrears on the hour mark, but late goals from Aubameyang and Adrian Ramos sealed a 1-4 win.

Stuttgarter Kickers are level with Dortmund's U23 side in the 3.Liga, with seven points. Despite an opening day loss to table-toppers Wehen, wins against Mainz II and Regensburg have quickly turned things around. Randy Edwini-Bonsu was hopeful that he could show the form that earned him a place at Eintracht Braunschweig, while Elia Soriano would provide a very real threat from set-pieces. Coach Horst Steffen made two changes to the side that beat Mainz II last weekend. Edwini-Bonsu and Mark Redl came in for Lhadji Badiane and Korbinian Müller, respectively

Borussia Dortmund were more than pleased to see the return of star man Marco Reus. The attacker was making his first start since the fateful injury that caused him to miss the World Cup. Jürgen Klopp made five changes to the side who claimed DFL Supercup glory in mid-week. Marcel Schmelzer was replaced by Erik Durm, after picking up a hamstring strain against Bayern. Sebastian Kehl, Matthias Ginter, Ciro Immobile and Jonas Hofmann all dropped out of the starting eleven, as Klopp seemingly reverted back to a 4-2-3-1. Milos Jojic, Oliver Kirch; Neven Subotic and Adrian Ramos were the players to take the aforementioned fours’ places.

The game lacked any real spark within the first 20 minutes. The Kickers were more than holding their own against Dortmund, who couldn't seem to get going. Milos Jojic had the best chance for the Bundesliga giants, but the Serbians shot squirmed wide after a brave block from Fabian Baumgärtel. BVB were counter-attacking well, with their usual high-octane football, yet the final ball was yet to find Adrian Ramos in the middle. Lukas Piszczek was the most promising outlet in either side, with the Pole constantly find acres of space down the right-hand side. When Oliver Kirch picked out a fantastic cross-field ball to find a marauding Piszczek, he squared for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to run on to and slam home for the opener. Much maligned for his finishing ability last year, the Armenian now had two goals in two competitive games and was in similarly good form during pre-season.

The game was held in the Mercedes-Benz Arena and with flashbacks of the horrific defending in BVB's last visit fresh in the memory, Oliver Kirch almost led to a Kickers equaliser. After giving the ball away, Elia Soriano skipped past challenges from Neven Subotic and Piszczek, before the Italian fired inches past the post. A strong influence from Italy was apparent in the Kickers team, with their determination to find an equaliser halted only by Mitchell Langerak. The Australian goalkeeper had to be alert, yet again, as Soriano got clear and was stopped by a fine, well-spread Langerak save.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang almost doubled BVB's lead, but a goal-line clearance prevented the Gabonese international from an easy finish. After that, Mitchell Langerak was, again, called into action. A fine save from Gerrit Muller, was followed almost immediately by collecting a failed Elia Soriano tap-in. Then, soon after, Royal-Dominique Fennell was stopped by the Australian in fine form. The Kickers defender soon turned from almost-hero to villain, as he passed the ball straight into Aubameyang's path. Spiderman wasn't denied a second time, as he raced round as stranded Mark Redl and finished with alpomb.

Just a few minutes later, the hosts soon had the goal that their play deserved. A costless-kick was poorly dealt with by the Dortmund defence, with Randy Edwini-Bonsu able to turn home Elia Soriano's cross-cum-shot. Their was a hint of offside as the Canadian finished off the move, but BVB appeals fell on deaf ears and there was nothing that Langerak could do. After the flurry of goals, the second-half provided little or no entertainment for either set of fans. Yet, with the hosts pushing for an equaliser, it was BVB who were able to kill the game.

Oliver Kirch maneuvered his way around the edge of the box, before spraying the ball out to Lukas Piszczek. The right-back collected the ball and fizzed a cross into the infamous 'corridor of uncertainty, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on hand to tap the ball in and make the result a certainty. Many think the Gabonese international could reach upwards of twenty goals this season and on this evidence, there's no reason why not. There was just time for BVB to inflict more misery on the home side, as Adrian Ramos grabbed his first Borussia Dortmund goal.

So, Dortmund progress to the next round of DFB Pokal action after a hard fought win. Stuttgarter Kickers certainly did not deserve the 1-4 scoreline and can take heart from giving one of the Bundesliga's best a tough time of making it through. Had Soriano converted one of his many chances, or Mitchell Langerak not been able to stop so many shots, the outcome could have been much different. Klopp and his men will be happy with their attacking play and their resilience, but will look to take it up a notch ahead of the Bayer Leverkusen game next weekend. 

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About the author
Jonathan Walsh
SoccerSight IFA commentator. VAVEL deputy editor-in-chief/VAVEL Bundesliga editor-in-chief and writer. Email: [email protected]