How's the view from the top?

Truth be told, it was actually the established Bundesliga names among the Galatasary ranks who drew much of the pre-match attention. After all, the Turkish champions had travelled to Frankfurt with former Bayern Munich (and Schalke) winger Leroy Sané, and ex-Germany captain İlkay Gündoğan. World-class striker Victor Osimhen, once on the books at Wolfsburg, was unavailable for selection, however, with the Nigerian forward having picked up a knock.

But on the night at Eintracht Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park, it was the likes of Burkardt, Ansgar Knauff, and some of the other faces comprising the future of German football, that stole the headlines as Eintracht put the Turkish champions to the sword in a 5-1 thrashing.

Burkardt enjoyed an absolutely outstanding performance on what was his Champions League debut. The 25-year-old striker recorded three goal involvements (two goals, one assist) as he first set up Uzun, whose strike put Die Adler 2–1 ahead, before sealing the victory himself with a clinical brace of headed goals.

“We won 5-1; it’s an incredible start for the team. I’m very grateful and so happy,” said the match-winner after the final whistle, further describing it as a “simply perfect evening”.

That being said, he didn’t ignore the game’s early minutes that saw the visitors take a deserved 1-0 lead through captain Yunus Akgün’s goal: “I think it was a bit of a nervous start. Everyone was a tad overexcited and our play was a bit sloppy. But the way we grew into the game - coming back after going 1-0 behind to win in front of this crowd - that was crazy.”

This turnaround was also made possible by the agile and industrious Uzun, who scored the goal to put Eintracht 2–1 ahead just minutes before the interval. The No.42’s top-drawer finish may well have even given the starlet a personal sense of vindication too, considering the opposition.

Born and raised in Germany, the 19-year-old midfielder has already declared his allegiance to Türkiye for his international career, but, despite ever-more consistently strong performances in the Bundesliga, he has so far only managed a place on the bench for the national team.

However, his goal and undeniable influence on this statement victory - against some his own compatriots too, no less – could force his national coach Vincenzo Montella’s hand in the upcoming October international break.

Watch: Frankfurt’s conveyor belt of talent

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann could also find himself in a similar situation, as former U21 international Knauff was the third standout performer on Thursday evening. The attacking player repeatedly troubled Galatasaray with his speed and rounded off his influential performance with a composed 75th-minute finish to get Frankfurt’s fifth.

With a goal difference of +4, but having put five past the Turkish champions, Die Adler finish Matchday 1 of the league phase at the table’s summit, ahead of holders Paris Saint-Germain, who beat Italian outfit Atalanta 4-0.

Does this mean the Eagles are on course for another European trophy to add to their 2022 Europa League title? That may be a step too far, even if coach Dino Toppmöller said the game “felt like a final.”

Still, the 44-year-old couldn’t hide his pride at his young squad's dominant display: “Today was an all-round great performance from everyone. We’re incredibly proud to be part of this competition. We earned this as a team, and of course, when you have a home game, you want to win it,” said the Eintracht coach.

Backing his team's credentials in the competition, Toppmöller added: “We know that we stand a chance in every game we play, and we showed that today.” Frankfurt did exactly that, proving they can do it against teams endowed with former Bundesliga and international stars of Sané's and Gündoğan's calibre. 

Eintracht are back in action in the Champions League on 30 September when they travel to the Spanish capital to take on Atlético Madrid.