Juventus bounced back from their disappointing weekend defeat to Sassuolo in emphatic fashion, cruising to a 5-0 victory over NEC Nijmegen in their Europa League opener.
Juventus made the perfect start to their Europa League campaign as they swept aside NEC Nijmegen 5-0 at the Allianz Stadium, putting their disappointing defeat to Sassuolo firmly behind them.
The hosts needed just nine minutes to break the deadlock, although they were helped by a huge mistake from NEC goalkeeper Nikolas Polster. Kamil Grabara’s long ball caught the Dutch defence out, and Polster raced off his line but failed to reach it ahead of Nico Gonzalez, who calmly finished into an empty net.
NEC briefly threatened a response when Noe Lebreton created space inside the area, but his powerful effort was kept out by Kamil Grabara. Juventus quickly regained control, with Nick Woltemade going close before Kerim Alajbegovic doubled the advantage in the 24th minute.
The youngster exchanged passes with Weston McKennie before finding the top corner with a powerful effort from outside the box, leaving Polster with no chance.
Juventus continued to exploit the gaps in the NEC defence and added a third before half-time. Gonzalez burst into the box and was brought down by Almugera Kabar, giving the referee an easy decision to award a penalty.
FT | ⌛️ | A commanding win to begin our #UEL campaign! 💪#JuveNEC pic.twitter.com/BbqLIINBRa
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) September 17, 2026
Woltemade stepped up and sent Polster the wrong way to score his first goal for Juventus and put the hosts three goals ahead after just 35 minutes.
NEC tried to find a way back after the restart, with Dennis Geiger firing narrowly over, but Juventus were already in complete control. Luciano Spalletti was able to make changes with one eye on Sunday’s Serie A meeting with Atalanta, while his side continued to comfortably manage the game.
The fourth goal eventually arrived in the 75th minute. Randal Kolo Muani, introduced from the bench, burst down the left before delivering a low cross into the area, allowing Zeki Celik to finish from close range.
Kolo Muani then got his own reward seven minutes later. Jhon Lucumi’s long ball sent the Frenchman through on goal, and with Polster charging out once again, Kolo Muani rounded the goalkeeper before calmly rolling the ball into an empty net.
The 5-0 victory gives Juventus a perfect start to their Europa League campaign and provides the response Spalletti would have wanted after the setback against Sassuolo. The Bianconeri will now turn their attention back to Serie A, with Atalanta next up at the Allianz Stadium.
