The final twenty minutes were a masterclass in game management from the sixteen-year-old. He was everywhere, breaking up play, drawing fouls, slowing the game down, his every action designed to frustrate Leverkusen and protect the precious point. He was a mature, intelligent, and disciplined leader, a player who understood that winning was not always about scoring spectacular goals, but about doing what was necessary to get the result.
The final whistle was met with a mixture of relief and satisfaction from the Dortmund players. They had been outplayed, they had been exhausted, but they had not been beaten. They had dug deep, they had fought hard, and they had come away with a vital point that kept their title hopes alive.
In the dressing room, Klopp gathered his players in a circle. "I am more proud of you tonight than I was in Madrid," he said, his voice thick with emotion.
