Juventus beat NEC Nijmegen 5-0 in Europa League opener behind goals from five players
Luciano Spalletti's side scored three first-half goals on their way to a 5-0 victory over Dutch club NEC Nijmegen at Allianz Stadium.
Tactical overhaul and early breakthrough
Luciano Spalletti reshuffled the Juventus lineup for their Europa League opener following a domestic league defeat against Sassuolo. The Italian manager switched to a three-man defensive system featuring Federico Gatti alongside Jhon Lucumí and Pierre Kalulu, while Polish goalkeeper Kamil Grabara made his club debut. In midfield, Pape Matar Sarr partnered Douglas Luiz, allowing Weston McKennie to drift between wide and central areas alongside Kerim Alajbegović and Nico González. The tactical setup paid off in the opening minutes at Allianz Stadium after Ukrainian referee Oleksii Derevinskyi had earlier disallowed a third-minute attempt. In the eighth minute, Grabara launched a deep clearance over the NEC Nijmegen back line. Opposing goalkeeper Robin Polster misjudged his rush outside the penalty area, allowing González to control the loose ball and finish into an open net.
First-half surge and penalty conversion
The Dutch side struggled to generate clear chances against the revised Juventus formation, with long-range efforts from Tjaronn Chery and Luc Lebreton failing to test Grabara. Juventus doubled their advantage in the 24th minute when Sarr slipped a pass to McKennie, who beat Darko Nejašmić on the flank before finding Alajbegović on the edge of the penalty box. The 18-year-old Bosnian attacker fired a right-footed strike past Polster to score his first senior goal for the club. NEC manager Dick Schreuder was forced into an early tactical adjustment when midfielder Noah Bischoff suffered an injury. Juventus extended the margin in the 35th minute after Almugera Kabar brought down González inside the box. German forward Nick Woltemade took the resulting spot kick, sending Polster the wrong way to make it 3-0 before the interval.
- Nico González scores into an open net from Kamil Grabara's clearance.
- Kerim Alajbegović doubles the lead with a right-footed strike from Weston McKennie's assist.
- Nick Woltemade converts a penalty kick won by Nico González.
- Zeki Çelik finishes from close range following an assist by Randal Kolo Muani.
- Randal Kolo Muani scores into an empty net after rounding Robin Polster.
Second-half substitutions and late goals
NEC attempted to reduce the deficit early in the second half through a right-footed effort from Geiger that flew just over the crossbar. Spalletti refreshed his lineup with a triple substitution, introducing Gleison Bremer, Teun Koopmeiners, and Francisco Conceição in place of McKennie, Douglas Luiz, and González. For the final 20 minutes, Spalletti paired Woltemade with substitute Randal Kolo Muani. In the 75th minute, Kolo Muani bypassed NEC defender Perr Schuurs on the right side and delivered a low cross to Zeki Çelik, who tapped the ball in from close range. The French forward added the fifth goal in the 82nd minute, chasing a through ball past another misjudged clearance from Polster before slotting the ball into an unguarded net.
Standings and upcoming Serie A fixture
The 5-0 victory placed Juventus at the top of the Europa League phase standings on goal difference following the opening round of matches. For Schreuder and his squad, the result exposed defensive vulnerabilities against top-tier European opposition, as their attack led by Dušan Tadić and Bryan Linssen managed minimal threat. Juventus now shift their attention back to domestic competition, hosting Maurizio Sarri's Atalanta at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday. That league meeting serves as the final fixture before the upcoming international break, where Spalletti's side will look to stabilize their domestic form following their European success.
