Juventus and NEC Nijmegen met in the League Stage of the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday evening at the Allianz Stadium, with the hosts running out 5-0 winners. It was the opening match of the new competition format for both sides. The result opened the campaign with a statement from the Italian side.
Nicolás Iván González struck first, nine minutes in, setting the tone for what followed. Kerim Alajbegovic doubled the advantage at the quarter-hour mark. And here's the thing — Nick Woltemade added a penalty before the break to make it three, putting Juventus in control of the contest.
The second half brought two more goals, though the pattern was already established. Zeki Çelik found the net in the seventy-fifth minute, and Randal Kolo Muani sealed the scoreline late on. By then, NEC had been chasing shadows for most of the evening.
Substitutions came thick and fast in the second period. Weston McKennie, Douglas Luiz Soares, and Nicolás Iván Gonzalez were all replaced around the hour mark. Philippe Sandler, Kerim Alajbegovic, and Nick Woltemade followed suit. Two yellow cards — Jamiro Monteiro and Douglas Luiz Soares — marked the only cards of the game.
The statistics tell a story of dominance without necessarily reflecting the clean sheet. Juventus recorded 4.14 expected goals against NEC's 0.76. Seven shots on target for the hosts compared to three for the visitors. They created five big chances while NEC managed none. To be fair, possession sat nearly even at 48 per cent to 52.
This was the first match of the season for both teams, so the table means nothing yet. Juventus start with a win after mixed recent results, including a loss to Sassuolo and draws with Milan. NEC, meanwhile, have now lost three of their last five away games. The gap between the sides was clear from the opening whistle.
