Juventus make flying Europa League start with emphatic 5-0 win over NEC Nijmegen

Juventus began their Europa League campaign in commanding fashion, beating NEC Nijmegen 5-0 at Allianz Stadium on Thursday after scoring three times in a dominant first half.

The home side took the lead after nine minutes when a failed intervention by Polster allowed Nicolas Gonzalez to collect Grabara’s long pass. With the goalkeeper out of position, Gonzalez made no mistake in finishing into an empty net.

Juventus doubled their advantage in the 24th minute. Kerim Alajbegovic found the top corner with a well-placed strike to put the Italian side firmly in control.

Their third goal came 11 minutes later from the penalty spot. Nick Woltemade converted after Kabar had fouled Gonzalez, giving Juventus a 3-0 lead before the interval.

NEC attempted to respond after the break and enjoyed 67% possession during the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Juventus, however, remained organised and resisted the pressure, while Grabara made a series of effective interventions.

Luciano Spalletti made several changes around the hour mark, bringing Bremer, Conceicao and Koopmeiners into the game as Juventus maintained their control.

The hosts added a fourth goal in the 75th minute when Zeki Celik finished after being set up by Randal Kolo Muani.

Kolo Muani then played a direct part in the fifth eight minutes later. Following another unsuccessful attempt by Polster to come off his line, Lucumi found the French striker, who calmly finished into an unguarded goal.

Juventus completed a 5-0 victory in their first European match of the campaign, with Grabara making a decisive contribution in goal and also providing the assist for the opening goal.