
Juventus Thrash NEC Nijmegen 5-0 to Extend Historic Unbeaten Home Europa League Record
Juventus extended their long-standing unbeaten home record in the UEFA Europa League stretching back to 1999 with a commanding 5-0 victory over Dutch side NEC Nijmegen in their opening league phase encounter at the Allianz Stadium.
Bouncing back from a weekend defeat in Serie A, Luciano Spalletti’s side took control in the ninth minute following a costly mistake by NEC goalkeeper Nikolas Polster. The 24-year-old rushed off his line to intercept a long ball, only to be beaten to it by Nico González, who tapped into an empty net to give the hosts an early lead.
NEC attempted to respond when Noé Lebreton turned in the box and forced a save, but Juventus quickly doubled their advantage. Kerim Alajbegović unleashed a 20-yard strike into the top corner to make it 2-0 before Nick Woltemade converted a 35th-minute penalty after González was brought down inside the area by Almugera Kabar.
Spalletti made three substitutions on the hour mark to rotate his squad ahead of their weekend fixture against Atalanta. The Bianconeri added a fourth goal in the 75th minute through summer signing Zeki Çelik, who tapped in from close range following a low cross from Randal Kolo Muani.
Kolo Muani then rounded off the victory with his first goal of the season after Polster made another ill-judged charge outside his penalty box, leaving the French forward free to walk the ball into an unguarded net. The result gives Juventus 11 wins in 14 home fixtures against Dutch opposition, while extending NEC’s winless streak across all competitions to four matches.