Juventus Blitzes N.E.C. in Europa League Opener, Wins 5-0 in a Goal Fest

Eight minutes. That's all it took Nico Gonzalez to put the first one on the board and make clear how the night was going to go at the Allianz Stadium. In the end, Juventus put away N.E.C. 5-0 in the Europa League, in an offensive showcase that left the Dutch side completely overwhelmed.

Gonzalez's goal came off a through ball from Kamil Grabara, and he finished at point blank range with his left foot, just inside the post. It wasn't a fluke: in the 23rd minute, Kerim Alajbegovic doubled the lead with a shot into the top corner off an assist from Weston McKennie, and eleven minutes later, in the 34th, Nick Woltemade converted a penalty (conceded by Almugera Kabar on Gonzalez himself) to make it 3-0 before the break. That's how the first half ended, and the story of the match was already all but written.

In the second half, Juventus didn't let up. Zeki Celik, assisted by Randal Kolo Muani, scored the fourth in the 74th minute, and seven minutes later Kolo Muani himself, on the field after coming on as a substitute, finished from close range off a cross from Jhon Lucumi to seal the rout in the 81st minute.

A dominance the numbers confirm

The curious thing is that possession and passing favored N.E.C., but all the efficiency belonged to the Italian side. Juventus had less of the ball, but converted every clear chance into a goal.

The xG figures generated during the match (an in-house estimate calculated from shot location, not a prediction) reflect that gap in finishing quality well: 3.63 for Juventus against just 0.58 for N.E.C. The Dutch side generated plenty of volume, but never posed real danger in front of the goal.

Beforehand, we had projected a comfortable match for Juventus, with a 63% chance of a home win, 22% for a draw and just 15% for a visiting win. The expected goals we had going in were 2.18 for Juventus and 0.99 for N.E.C., a total of 3.17. The final result not only confirmed that trend but blew past it: five goals scored compared to the just over two we had projected, a gap that speaks to an especially efficient night in front of goal.

What it means in the standings

With this result, Juventus reached three points in their opening match of the tournament, with a goal difference of plus five that puts them atop the overall Europa League table, though it's worth remembering that only one matchday has been played and several teams share the same three points. N.E.C., meanwhile, came away with no points and a goal difference of minus five, at the other end of the table.

The match also had a footnote worth mentioning: Clement Bischoff, of N.E.C., had to leave with an injury in the 29th minute and was replaced by Dennis Geiger. Nothing that changed the course of the match, which was already fully in the hands of the Turin side from Gonzalez's opening goal.

What remains from this night at the Allianz Stadium is a Juventus side that settled things decisively from early on, with five different names on the scoresheet, and an N.E.C. side that, despite controlling more of the ball, never found a way to truly threaten the opposing goal.