Kruse opened the scoring in the third minute, before netting the winner in the 77th minute in the 2.Bundesliga clash.

The goals took the 29-year-old's season tally to seven goals, having joined promotion hopefuls Bochum in the off-season after a failed spell in China.

Asensio's Screamer Vs FC Barcelona
Asensio's Screamer Vs FC Barcelona
In one of Real Madrid's most outstanding performances at the Camp Nou, Los Blancos beat FC Barcelona 3-1 in the Spanish Supercup. Real were leading 2-1 after Cristiano Ronaldo's 80th minute goal, but just before the final whistle, we sealed the win with this beautiful Marco Asensio strike.
0 seconds of 43 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:43
00:43
 
keep watching Watch more Real Madrid videos on OneFootball

Kruse scored earlier this month against former club Fortuna Dusseldorf while last weekend he provided an assist in a 1-1 draw with Greuther Furth.

The ex-Bayer Leverkusen man has never played at a World Cup despite totalling 62 caps for Australia, with injury denying him opportunities in 2010 and 2014.

Kruse broke in behind the Erzgebirge Aue defence for the first goal, with plenty of time to mull over his finish, before coolly slotting to opposition keeper Martin Mannel's right.

He stepped up for the winner after 77 minutes, when he was found in space inside the box after a cutback went through a crowd of players, executing a calm finish beyond Mannel.

The result means Bochum remain in contention for third spot, which is a play-off against the 16th-placed Bundesliga club.

Bochum are sixth, two points behind third-placed Holstein Kiel who have a game in hand, with two rounds to play.

Elsewhere in the 2.Bundesliga on Friday, Brandon Borrello's Kaiserslautern were officially relegated after a 3-2 loss at Arminia Bielefeld.

Borrello was absent after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training last week. He will undergo surgery on Monday.