Dortmund vs. Benfica: Score and Reaction from 2017 Champions League Round of 16

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang was the hat-trick hero as Borussia Dortmund advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League on Wednesday after a 4-0 win in the second leg of their round-of-16 clash against Benfica.

The Bundesliga titans came back from a 1-0 deficit after the first leg to seal a 4-1 aggregate win, with Christian Pulisic joining Aubameyang on the scoresheet with his three.

Ousmane Dembele and Pulisic continued to supplement Aubameyang in attack, while Gonzalo Castro and Julian Weigl kept their places in the Dortmund engine room.

BBC Radio 5 Live took note of the other trio Dortmund joined in the tournament's last eight at the time of their match ending, although Barcelona would go on to replace Paris Saint-Germain following an outrageous comeback:

Tuchel's side didn't need long to construct their ideal start to the second leg when Aubameyang managed to get the final touch on a dangerous Dembele corner in the fourth minute.

In what was close to Dortmund's first attack of the game, Pulisic headed Dembele's corner into the path of Aubameyang at the left post, and the BBC's John Bennett noted his improved accuracy compared to the first leg:

"

Aubameyang missed 4 good chances in the first leg... He scores within 4 minutes in the second leg. #BVBSLB

— John Bennett (@JohnBennettBBC) March 8, 2017"

The Signal Iduna was given consistent reason to rise to its feet as the Black and Yellows rained a barrage of attacks down on Benfica's defence, frequently calling Eagles goalkeeper Ederson Moraes into play.

It took 20 minutes or so, but Benfica eventually found their way into the fixture and began to play in the likes of Kostas Mitroglou and Pizzi, although no player could find the crucial finishing touch in front of goal.

Dortmund simmered coming into the half-time whistle, however, to remain level across both legs of their round-of-16 encounter, despite Aubameyang's best efforts to put them ahead on aggregate for the first time.

Benfica's rise in confidence continued as the game reached the interval, and Metro's Portuguese football expert Jan Hagen noted the fixture was far from out of reach for the Primeira Liga side:

Tuchel's side quickly recovered from a worrying slump in performance at the start of the second period and responded with a brutish blitz in goals, with Pulisic nudging home Dortmund's second to put them ahead on aggregate.

Weigl stepped deep eyeing the middle of the opposition box and sent his 18-year-old team-mate through before dinking a wonderfully smart chip over Ederson, entering an exclusive club in the process, per ESPN Stats and Info:

Dortmund were barely done celebrating their second when a lumped ball forward found its way to Marcel Schmelzer on the left side of Benfica's area, with heaps of yellow jerseys waiting just inside.

The Germany international whipped the appropriate ball into the lap of Aubameyang, and he made no mistake in converting the hosts' third, improving an already fearsome record for 2016-17, per WhoScored.com:

But there would be more torment for Benfica centre-backs Victor Lindelof and Luisao, who lasted another 24 minutes before Aubameyang returned to complete his hat-trick.

It was again Pulisic who found his Gabonese team-mate with a surging ball from the right side to the left, and Hagen couldn't help but point out the difference in display between his home and away legs:

The Black and Yellows played on the counter when necessary and gradually mounted an assault to ease through to the quarter-finals with a commanding 4-1 scoreline.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid already made their way into the quarter-finals on Tuesday and will await Dortmund in the last eight.

Post-Match Reaction

JOHN MACDOUGALL/Getty Images

Tuchel's team took their time to warm up to the challenge on Wednesday, but what eventually arose from the Germans was a precise and convincing win worthy of its reward—a place in the competition's last eight.

However, even the Dortmund manager was diverted more toward Barcelona's 6-1 win over PSG that saw them seal a 6-5 aggregate triumph and asked for his take on the result, via German broadcaster Viasat Fotball:

Benfica manager Rui Vitoria said his side "approached the game in the right way" in the second half before swiftly noting his attention will be turned back to the competitions at hand, per the club's Twitter account:

For Dortmund, the Champions League continues to provide a welcome alternative to the Bundesliga that already looks so far out of their grasp.

For Benfica, on the other hand, the domestic front will provide their only chances for silverware following Wednesday's damaging defeat, with the Eagles currently leading Porto by one point at the Primeira Liga summit.