By SCM Sports Desk I Friday, Sept 18,2026
TURIN — Juventus launched their Europa League campaign in explosive fashion, crushing Dutch side NEC Nijmegen 5-0 on a night where the Old Lady’s sparkling stars stole the show.
The Italian giants delivered a ruthless masterclass of vertical football at a bouncing Allianz Stadium, brushing aside their opponents with supreme ease and declaring their intentions to go all the way in Europe.
The star power was on display from the opening whistle. Argentine international Nicolás González got the party started after just nine minutes, making no mistake after a catastrophic error from Nijmegen’s stand-in keeper Nikolas Polster.
Polster charged out of his penalty box to meet a launched long ball from debutant Juve keeper Kamil Grabara, only to completely misjudge the flight, leaving González to casually round him and slot into an empty net.
It gave Polish stopper Grabara a spectacular debut assist right off the bat. Juve doubled their cushion in the 24th minute thanks to a moment of brilliant interplay.
American star Weston McKennie powered forward through the engine room before finding Kerim Alajbegović on the edge of the box, and the teenage Bosnian phenom unleashed a thunderous strike into the top corner for his maiden goal in black-and-white.
Ten minutes before the interval, the relentless pressure proved too much for NEC. Almugera Kabar brought down a lively González inside the area, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. German forward Nick Woltemade stepped up with cool composure, sending Polster the wrong way to convert his first goal since making his summer move.
Though the tie was effectively put to bed by half-time, the true headline act arrived off the bench. French superstar Randal Kolo Muani entered the fray in the 70th minute and put on an absolute clinic.
Within minutes, the former PSG striker danced past Perr Schuurs before rolling a precision pass to Turkish full-back Zeki Çelik to tap in for 4-0. Kolo Muani then got the goal his electrifying cameo deserved in the 81st minute, springing NEC’s fragile high defensive line to round Polster and walk the ball home, completing a resounding 5-0 victory.
The underlying match statistics highlighted a night of supreme efficiency from the hosts. Despite Juventus ceding control of overall possession—finishing with 51% to NEC Nijmegen’s 49%—they were devastatingly clinical in front of goal. Juve created 5 big chances and accumulated a massive 4.14 expected goals (xG), compared to NEC’s modest 0.76 xG.
The home side registered 11 total shots, hitting the target with 7 of them, whereas the Dutch visitors managed 11 attempts of their own but could only test Kamil Grabara on 5 occasions. Juventus were dominant in physical battles, winning 58% of all duels and racking up 16 successful tackles at an 88% success rate, while making 22 clearances and committing only 9 fouls. Nijmegen struggled to keep up with Juve’s dynamic transitions, committing 18 fouls and earning a yellow card while failing to win a single corner throughout the entire 90 minutes.
