Juventus defeats NEC Nijmegen 5-0 in Europa League opener

Juventus began their 2026-27 Europa League campaign with a dominant 5-0 victory over NEC Nijmegen on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. The Italian club's emphatic performance came just days after a disappointing 2-3 loss to Sassuolo in Serie A, providing an immediate response to domestic setbacks.

Nicolás González opened the scoring in the fourth minute following a goalkeeping error from NEC's Nikolas Polster, who rushed out of his area and completely missed the ball. Juventus extended their lead before halftime through a long-range strike by Kerim Alajbegović and a penalty converted by Nick Woltemade after Almugera Kabar fouled González. The first-half performance saw Juventus deploy a rotated squad featuring several players in their first European appearance for the club.

In the second half, Juventus added two more goals in the final quarter of an hour. Zeki Çelik struck after receiving a cut-back from Randal Kolo Muani to make it 4-0, and Kolo Muani rounded Polster before tapping in for the fifth goal. Head coach Luciano Spalletti made multiple starting lineup changes, with midfielder Teun Koopmeiners beginning on the bench. NEC, managed by Dick Schreuder, struggled throughout and managed only limited chances despite the efforts of experienced players including Dusan Tadic and Bryan Linssen.

The result placed Juventus at the top of the Europa League table after the first matchday. While the scoreline was significant, some analysis noted that NEC's poor performance—particularly the early goalkeeping error—and Juventus's direct approach with limited possession contributed to the wide margin of victory. For Juventus, the emphatic win offered a contrasting outcome to their recent Serie A form, which also included a 1-1 draw against AC Milan.