Bayern proudly hit back when Franck Ribéry’s corner was met on the volley by Luiz Gustavo. That shot, that comeback, might well have unnerved Dortmund, particularly since its regular goalie was injured and the reserve, the Australian Mitchell Langerak, was not just appearing in Munich’s 69,000-seat cauldron for the first time, but making his senior debut in Germany.

Langerak, though, was not to blame for the goal. And he never misplaced a foot or a fist in the game.

But what was exhilarating and enlightening about this was that wherever you looked on the field, Dortmund was the equal, and more, of Bayern. The Bundesliga has a new champion-elect, with Dortmund now 16 points ahead of Munich with 10 match days left in the season.

Moreover, Dortmund’s record away from home is superior to Bayern’s form in the Allianz. It has won 11, drawn 1 and lost 1 game on the road, scoring more away goals and conceding fewer than Munich has at home.

And it is so thrilling to watch. While many a coach asks his team to run the extra mile, Klopp takes that to literal extremes. Computer readings show that week after week, nobody in the Bundesliga runs more than Dortmund — and no individual covers more than the 13.6 kilometers, or 8.5 miles, Grosskreutz gets through in 90 minutes.

But, to repeat, it isn’t just physical. The young man is fearless on the big stage. He thinks on his feet. He starts counterattacks that require instinct and calculation and awareness. And although the engaging young Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa, Dortmund’s revelation in the first half of this season, was badly injured playing for his country at the Asian Cup in January, Dortmund has found ways to overcome his loss.

Sahin’s development is one good reason for that. Born in Germany, but choosing to represent his father’s nation, Turkey, Sahin on Saturday was here, there and everywhere on the field, as Kagawa would have been. His goal was wonderfully curled beyond Munich’s goalie, Thomas Kraft, from outside the penalty box, and Sahin’s intelligence outshone Bayern.