Five teams from the Bundesliga are participating in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League. However, going by results from Matchday 1, only two look capable of going through to the knockout stages.
Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga's early pace-setters, got off to a flying start in Group G as it registered a 3 - 0 demolition of Danish side FC Copenhagen. Marco Reus and Raphael Guerrero scored for the black-and-yellows to establish a 2 - 0 lead for Dortmund going into half-time. In the second half, English midfielder Jude Bellingham added one more to put Copenhagen out of its misery.
It was a good night for Bundesliga champions Bayern as well, as it won 0 - 2 away to Inter Milan. The first half saw Leroy Sane score for the Bavarians, while an unfortunate Danilo D'Ambrosio's own goal sealed the result.
However, all the other Bundesliga teams recorded losses. Bayer Leverkusen's 1 - 0 loss away to Belgian side Club Brugge was a shocker, as almost everyone had predicted a Bayer win.
It was a miserable night for Eintracht Frankfurt as well, which was well-beaten by Portugal's Sporting Lisbon at home. While Frankfurt managed to hold Sporting during the first half, the second half saw the Bundesliga side capitulate. Sporting scored two quick-fire goals and put the result beyond doubt in the 82nd minute.
The most shocking result came from Leipzig, where RB Leipzig hosted Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainians were in front after 16 minutes, but Leipzig managed to pull a goal back early in the second half. However, within a minute of play after Leipzig's equalizer, Shakhtar scored again. By the end of the match, Leipzig conceded two more goals, which left the Bundesliga team red-faced in front of its home support.
It seems that the teams from the Bundesliga have carried their respective forms from the league campaign to the Champions League. While Bayern and Dortmund look formidable, the rest appear to be feeble at best.