Borussia Dortmund kept their bid for Europa League qualification alive by easing to a 3-0 victory over SC Paderborn at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund were on top for long spells of the first half, with Matthias Ginter threatening early on when his long-range strike forced Lukas Kruse into a good save.

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It was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's struggles in front of goal which stole the show in the opening 45 minutes after he followed a poor touch in the box with a wild effort which drifted over the crossbar.

Paderborn rarely threatened despite improving as the first half progressed, and they were handed another boost before the break when Aubameyang allowed the visiting defence to recover before he could convert a clever pass from Ilkay Gundogan.

After being left frustrated at the interval, Dortmund took control of the match with two goals in eight minutes early in the second half, and it was Henrikh Mkhitaryan who broke the deadlock by finding space at the near post to head home from an Aubameyang cross.

Aubameyang finally found the goal that he had threatened to score all afternoon when Ginter's tackle sent the ball into the forward's path, and he made no mistake with a fine finish past Kruse.

An exchange of passes between Jakub Blaszczykowski and Mkhitaryan created an opportunity a few moments later, but Kruse responded well to keep out a shot from the former.

Paderborn were unable to put the Dortmund defence under pressure for an extended spell, and Jurgen Klopp was left celebrating on the week that he announced that he would leave the club at the end of the season.

Shinji Kagawa wrapped up the victory in the closing stages as he collected a chipped pass from Mkhitaryan before confidently drilling home.