Borussia Dortmund cruise past Aston Villa in final pre-season friendly

Goals from Emre Can and Julian Brandt helped Borussia Dortmund claim a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in their final pre-season friendly before the start of the season.

Nuri Sahin fielded a near-full strength starting XI as Borussia Dortmund went up against Aston Villa in their season-opening friendly match at the Westfalenstadion. The Black and Yellows started with Karim Adeyemi up front in the false nine role, while new signings Pascal Groß and Yan Couto also played from the start.

Captain and vice-captain score as Borussia Dortmund beat Aston Villa

As has been the case for the majority of pre-season, Borussia Dortmund played some very exciting football and created the better chances. BVB's dominance was then rewarded with a goal in the 33rd minute. It was club captain Can who opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Adeyemi was fouled inside the box.

Brandt then added a second moments later, with Adeyemi again involved in the build-up. Couto also played a key role in making the goal happen.

The second-half did not feature as many chances, and Borussia Dortmund managed to see out their win fairly comfortably in the end. Although a mistake from Gregor Kobel nearly gave Aston Villa a route back into the game, but they failed to convert.

Edin Terzic, who left BVB at the end of last season, bid farewell to the supporters at the Westfalenstadion ahead of kick-off. There was also a reunion with Ian Maatsen, who joined Aston Villa this summer after spending the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund.