Juventus Dominates NEC in Europa League Opener
NEC’s return to European competition lasted 90 bruising minutes in Turin. Dick Schreuder’s side were taken apart by a ruthless Juventus, slumping to a 5-0 defeat that laid bare the gulf in power and precision on Thursday night.
The visitors arrived with experience and optimism. With Gonzalo Crettaz suspended, Nikolas Polster stepped in between the posts, shielded by a starting XI featuring seasoned names like Tjaronn Chery, Dusan Tadic and Bryan Linssen. On the other side, Teun Koopmeiners began on the bench for Juventus, but the Italian giants barely needed their full arsenal.
They were on NEC from the first whistle.
Inside three minutes, Federico Gatti thought he had opened the scoring, only for his effort to be chalked off for a foul on Polster. A brief reprieve, nothing more. The warning signs flashed. NEC didn’t react in time.
Moments later, Juventus struck for real. Nicolás González burst in behind, Polster charged out and completely misjudged the situation, flying past the ball and leaving the Argentine with a simple tap-in. One lapse, one goal. 1-0 and the tone of the night set.
From there, Juventus tightened the grip.
Polster did his best to steady things, tipping over a firm header from Nick Woltemade. But when Kerim Alajbegovic stepped up from distance, there was no escape. He unleashed a thunderous strike from range that ripped into the net for 2-0, a goal that underlined the difference in quality.
NEC’s evening then worsened on two fronts. Between the second and third goals, Clement Bischoff pulled up with a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Dennis Geiger, robbing Schreuder of an important piece in midfield.
The pressure didn’t ease. Almugera Kabar clipped González in the box, and Woltemade calmly converted from the spot to make it 3-0. Juventus were relentless, NEC ragged and reeling.
To their credit, the visitors did finally punch back before the break. Noé Lebreton forced Kamil Grabara into action, Kabar also tested the Juventus goalkeeper, and Linssen lashed an effort over the bar. Half-chances, flashes of intent, but nothing to change the narrative of the night.
After the interval, the tempo dipped. Juventus managed the game, content to hold NEC at arm’s length. Schreuder’s side saw more of the ball but rarely threatened, aside from a long-range strike from Geiger that at least asked a question of Grabara.
The contest drifted. The scoreline did not.
In the final quarter of an hour, Juventus went back through the gears and tore open NEC again. Randal Kolo Muani, lively off the bench, drove into the box and picked out Zeki Çelik with a cut-back. The finish was crisp, the marking loose, and it was 4-0.
Seconds later, the punishment deepened. Kolo Muani broke clear, rounded the advancing Polster with ease and rolled the ball into an empty net for 5-0. Any lingering hope of damage limitation vanished with that final blow.
The whistle eventually brought mercy, not relief. NEC’s Europa League campaign begins with a heavy scar, and with it an urgent question: how quickly can Schreuder’s side recover before this result defines their European season?
