Borussia Dortmund sealed progression through to the knockout stages of the Europa League by cruising past Qabala 4-0 at the Westfalenstadion.
First-half goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus, who would later go off nursing a suspected groin injury, put the home side well in control.
Sergei Zenjov then found his own net to put BVB three to the good, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan rounded things off with a powerful fourth 20 minutes from time.
Relive Sports Mole's live text coverage of the one-sided affair below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Europa League group-stage meeting between Borussia Dortmund and Qabala at the Westfalenstadion. Thomas Tuchel's heavyweights play host to one of the competition's minnows, knowing that victory could see them through to the knockout stages.
Qabala will have something to say about that, of course, but they have taken only one point from their three fixtures to date in Group C and require a miracle result of sorts in Germany this evening to keep their hopes alive.
Kickoff is less than 30 minutes away now, so let's get straight into things by checking out some team news from Signal Iduna Park.
TEAM NEWS!
DORTMUND XI: Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Bender, Hummels, Schmelzer; Weigl, Castro, Mkhitaryan, Januzaj, Reus; Aubameyang
QABALA XI: Bezotosniy; Stankovic, Vernydub, Ricardinho, Dashdemirov; Dodo, Gai, Meza, Zenjov; Pereyra, Antonov
Despite carrying a knock earlier this week, leading marksman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been declared fit to start for Dortmund this evening. Nuri Sahin - who was the only other big doubt - misses out, while Erik Durm's knee injury also sees him sidelined for the visit of the Azerbaijani outfit.
Adnan Januzaj and Marco Reus are both also included in attack for a strong-looking BVB side, which also includes Roman Weidenfeller in goal as he continues his run in this competition at the expense of Roman Burki.
Qabala forward Oleksiy Antonov has yet to get off the mark in the Europa League, but he has been tasked with leading the line this evening ahead of Facundo Pereyra who will provide midfield support. Qabala hardly boast experience at this level, with this just their second ever campaign on the continent.
BENCH WATCH!
DORTMUND SUBS: Burki, Ginter, Park, Gundogan, Ramos, Kagawa, Subotic
QABALA SUBS: Popovich, Mirzabekov, Jamalov, Florescu, Sadygov, Zargarov, Pereyra
Certainly plenty of options for Dortmund to call upon from the bench this evening should they need to, including the craft and guile of Shinji Kagawa and the equally-as-experienced option in Ilkay Gundogan.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has hit the ground running this season by scoring 17 goals in Dortmund's opening 14 fixtures
Three of those Aubameyang goals came in the reverse fixture of this tie two weeks ago, as he helped Dortmund into a straightforward 3-0 lead. Qabala did create chances of their own, though, and they were rewarded late on when Dodo pulled one back for his side.
Dortmund have also seen off Krasnador so far in Group C, though they were held by PAOK to see what is otherwise a perfect record blemished somewhat. It means that BVB could be into the knockout stages come the end of play this evening, should PAOK slip up at Krasnador.
DID YOU KNOW? Dortmund have never actually made it beyond the group stage of the Europa League, having been dumped out the only previous time that they played in Europe's secondary competition in 2010-11. That is because Die Borussen are far more accustomed to playing in the Champions League, of course, but a poor campaign last time out has left them without elite level football on the continent.
Thomas Tuchel has done extremely well since taking over, though, helping to ensure that a repeat of the dire first half to last season was never going to be repeated. Dortmund find themselves in second place in the Bundesliga table, five points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich thanks to eight wins from 11 games.
Things are looking good elsewhere, too, with the club's DFB-Pokal exploits well on track following a 7-1 win over Paderborn and European football also all-but sealed post-Christmas. Tuchel will certainly have one eye on the weekend clash against rivals Schalke, but that has not prevented him naming a solid starting lineup this evening.
Qabala, on the other hand, have not won any of their previous three league fixtures, including a home loss to Kapaz a few days ago, which has left them trailing current leaders Qarabag in the Azerbaijani top flight. Roman Hryhorchuk will be hoping that his side have left their best for the big stage tonight.
Can Dortmund maintain their impressive start to the season and book their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League? The two sets of players are out on the field so let's find out!
KICKOFF! Dortmund get us underway at the Westfalenstadion, earning a free kick in a decent position within 20 seconds - promising start!
Reus's free kick was awkward for Pietrzkiewicz to deal with, so the opposition keeper simply helped the ball over the bar. Hummels met the cross but was adjudged to be offside.
Qabala seeing a bit more of the ball now, but not able to ask questions of their opponents in the early stages like witnessed a couple of weeks back. A second Dortmund corner is met by Hummels once more, only for a deflection to take the sting out of the effort.
A promising piece of play for the visitors, as Zenjov stretches his legs down the left wing. Bender did well to get across just when the opposition striker looked to be in behind him, though, with the move coming to nothing in the end.
YELLOW CARD! An extremely poor throw into a central position left Vitalij Vernydub exposed, with Reus latching on to the ball with space to burst into. Vernydub had no choice but to clatter into the Dortmund attacker to prevent that from happening, however, earning himself a yellow in the process.
Dortmund's best spell of the game came inside those opening couple of minutes, but since then it has been very evenly matched. No chances of note so far, with 11 minutes on the clock in Germany.
The ball rebounds into the path of Mkhitaryan, but he failed to keep his effort down. A superb atmosphere inside the Westfalenstadion this evening, incidentally, even if this is not quite the level Dortmund have been used to in recent times.
YELLOW CARD! A cross into the box from the right has far too much on it for Aubameyang to latch on to. The in-form striker has had no real support so far, as Bender earns a yellow for infringement.
SHOT! An acrobatic effort from Sergei Zenjov sails wide of Weidenfeller's far post after Dortmund failed to properly deal with a flat free kick into the box. Qabala have really settled into the game now; still evenly matched.
SAVE! The best chance of the match so far by quite some distance, and it falls to exactly the right man for Dortmund in Aubameyang. The in-form forward failed to get the better of Pietrzkiewicz when clean through on goal, though, before Gonzalo Castro somehow missed the target from the follow-up.
Dortmund looking solid at the back to deny the lively Zenjov. Qabala were also looking strong in the defensive department, but Aubameyang managed to get in behind with relative ease a few minutes back which is a little worrying.
Real end-to-end stuff now in Dortmund. First, Dodo's cross was acrobatically cut out by Bender to deny Zenjov who would have been clean in on goal. BVB were then quick to break up the other end, only for another fine interception to deny them.
SAVE! Ginter drives forward and gets a shot in at goal from long range, which deflects into an awkward position. It was central enough for Pietrzkiewicz to deal with in the end, so we remain goalless at the Westfalenstadion.
CHANCE! Some beautiful play from Dortmund ends with Reus heading towards goal at the back post, although his attempt was deflected behind. That came moments after Mkhitaryan's cross went right across the face of goal, as Dortmund continue to up the pressure.
GOAL! BORUSSIA DORTMUND 1-0 QABALA (MARCO REUS)
The pressure has certainly been growing, and Dortmund finally make a breakthrough against the minnows. This was all about Reus, who drifted infield from the left and fired the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards out.
Reus had to receive some treatment after scoring, but he is back on the field now. Would not be at all surprised to see him replaced at some stage in the second half if Dortmund bag another, with that big clash against Schalke just a few days away.
SHOT! Dortmund well on top now; this time coming close through Aubameyang who has been relatively quiet by his own high standards. The Gabon international rather cut across the ball, with his strike from range ending narrowly wide of goal.
A goal for Reus, but he is still not looking too comfortable at the moment and could soon be withdrawn
UPDATE! Krasnador lead PAOK elsewhere in Group C, meaning Dortmund are on the brink of qualifying for the knockout stages. Meanwhile, at Signal Iduna Park, Reus sees his shot blocked behind by Santos.
Dortmund, who have now scored in each of their last 39 outings, see another half chance pass them by as Reus fires wide from a free kick. That second goal appears to be coming.
Tuchel certainly made a brave decision in naming such a strong side this evening, perhaps looking to continue building momentum, but should Dortmund get a second before the break he may opt to rest some tired legs. Reus in particular is not looking 100% at the moment.
Dortmund have been on top for the past 20 minutes or so now, creating the odd chance but nothing really clear-cut since Reus's opener. Qabala just holding out for half time at the moment, perhaps hoping to nick a goal in the second half.
SAVE! Well how big a moment could this prove to be in the match? Castro's superb dummy allows Mkhitaryan to fire in a shot from nine yards out, but Pietrzkiewicz was equal to it down the middle.
GOAL! BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2-0 QABALA (PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG)
It has not bee Aubameyang's finest half, particularly since missing a one-on-one a little earlier, but when played through on this occasion he made little mistake. The Gabon international tucked the ball in via the post to double his side's lead in the final stages of the opening 45 minutes.
HALF TIME: BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2-0 QABALA
So a 21st goal of the season for Aubameyang has helped put Dortmund in control at the break, adding to that earlier Reus strike which got BVB up and running at the Westfalenstadion.
It is not too dissimilar to the reverse meeting, in fact, when Aubameyang scored in minutes 31 and 38 to put Dortmund on their way. Qabala have - much like a fortnight ago - shown the odd glimmer of attacking threat, but they have not sustained enough pressure to truly worry their heavyweight opponents.
Sergei Zenjov acrobatically fired wide with 16 minutes on the clock for what proved to be Qabala's best moment of the match. It was far too open for Dortmund's liking, but from that point on Tuchel's charges took control and bagged a couple of deserved goals to show for their efforts.
A telling graphic from the BVB media team, underlining the gulf in that first half in terms of quality in the attacking third to create openings.
As mentioned in the first half, I would not be at all surprised to see Tuchel make at least one change at the break now that his side have a nice little cushion to sit on. They are 45 minutes away from the knockout stages, but a big meeting against rivals Schalke is right on the horizon.
RESTART! We are back underway in Germany, with Qabala really needing to wrestle control of this second half from the off. Januzaj on for Reus at the break, as expected.
Schmelzer's cross into the box is half cleared away for Mkhitaryan to strike goalwards, but it is blocked aside. Dortmund picking up from where they left off in the first half.
SAVE! Dortmund continuing to look so strong in attack, as Castro picks up the ball and fires in a fierce shot from 20 yards out which Pietrzkiewicz is simply happy to parry away. Januzaj has looked lively since coming on at the break.
Qabala have offered nothing so far in this second half, with Dortmund boasting 65% of the possession. Still just the two goals in it, but that third appears to be just moments away at this rate.
Not a great deal of excitement at the moment; all very professional from the hosts to just see this one through. Tuchel will be thinking about his next batch of changes shortly, as we fast approach the hour mark.
OFF THE POST! Castro's cross into the path of Mkhitaryan is inch-perfect, but the Armenian could only strike the post from just a few yards out. That should have been the game wrapped up for good.
Aubameyang with the latest shot on goal, which Pietrzkiewicz is well behind to keep hold of. Qabala just cannot get out of this rut, being constantly pegged back into their own half.
Some promise for the Azerbaijani visitors at last, as Ricardinho gets forward but fails to pick out a teammate. One goal for Qabala changes everything, yet Dortmund look so incredibly comfortable at the moment.
Qabala enjoying their best spell of the game, so it comes as little surprise to see Gundogan readying himself to come on. Tuchel just looking to consolidate now and see this game through.
DORTMUND SUB! Confirmation of that second Dortmund change, then, as Gundogan replaces Ginter in the engine room. That third and final alteration surely won't be too far behind, either.
Normal service has been restored over the past few minutes following Qabala's brief respite. Reus and Aubameyang's first-half goals proving to be the difference in this one, with around 25 minutes left to play at Signal Iduna Park.
SAVE! It is another superb save by Pietrzkiewicz to deny the hosts what appeared to be a certain third. It was trademark Dortmund in many ways, with the players seemingly cueing up to smash it home. Januzaj was the lucky one, running on to the ball nicely but failing to get the better of Pietrzkiewicz.
GOAL! BORUSSIA DORTMUND 3-0 QABALA (SERGEI ZENJOV, OG)
It is a cruel own goal for Zenjov, who gets ahead of Piszczek but simply flicks the ball into his own net. That secures the victory for Dortmund, and progression into the knockout stages.
GOAL! BORUSSIA DORTMUND 4-0 QABALA (HENRIKH MKHITARYAN)
Dortmund really finding their groove now, as Mkhitaryan rifles home a third of the evening for his side. The Armenian latched on to the ball inside the box, leaving Pietrzkiewicz with absolutely no chance on this occasion by smashing the ball into the roof of the net.
The hosts made their final change of the match in the three minutes between those goals, incidentally, with Adrian Ramos replacing Aubameyang. Tuchel in a nice position now, able to rotate his squad, which he will also be to do in his side's final two matches.
OFF THE POST! Mkhitaryan is unlucky not to add to his earlier strike, this time seeing his effort come back off the post and off the back of Pietrzkiewicz's head to relative safety. That really could have gone anywhere!
Dortmund really are on fire this season, losing just one game in all competitions so far
QABALA SUB! Derlis David Meza Colli is replaced by Elvin Jamalov for these final stages, with Qabala simply having to hold out the Dortmund onslaught rather than putting together any attacking moves of their own.
Krasnador now two up against PAOK elsewhere in Group C, so Dortmund cruising into the next phase of this competition. Qabala will remain bottom with one point, meaning that their participation in the Europa League will come to an end this evening.
The Dortmund chances have dried up but that does not mean that things are any less difficult for them. Qabala seem resigned to seeing out the 4-0 defeat, while BVB are also more than happy for the full-time whistle to sound.
Die Borussen knocking the ball around well, simply remaining professional in these closing minutes. A fifth could be on the cards, yet they seem happy to just play out the four-goal win. Progression out of Group C with two games to spare - exactly what Thomas Tuchel was after.
QABALA SUB! Sergei Zenjov has been replaced by Samir Zargarov, seconds after Elvin Jamalov saw yellow for his rash tackle. Three minutes to go.
Little by the way of goalmouth action since that fourth Dortmund goal, with both teams very much playing out this game in the middle of the park. The momentum continues for BVB, who will take on their great rivals on the weekend in a buoyant mood.
I mentioned a little earlier, as we enter added time here, that Qabala's Europa League journey will be coming to an end tonight. That is not officially true, but they require more than a few snookers to overhaul Krasnador in second place over the final two fixtures.
FULL TIME: BORUSSIA DORTMUND 4-0 QABALA
So all very straightforward for Dortmund in the end, then, as the referee blows his full-time whistle to signal BVB's progression into the knockout stages.
First-half goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus, who would later go off nursing a suspected groin injury, put the home side well in control. Sergei Zenjov then found his own net to put BVB three to the good, before Henrikh Mkhitaryan rounded things off with a powerful fourth 20 minutes from time.
Well that is all from me this evening, but I'll point you in the direction of Sports Mole's live text coverage from elsewhere in the Europa League this evening, where Tottenham Hotspur are about to take on Anderlecht. That can be found by clicking here. Enjoy!
