Juventus thrashed NEC Nijmegen 5-0, while Crystal Palace defeated Lech Poznań 4-0 in their opening Europa League league-phase matches.
Web Desk: Juventus made a commanding start to their 2026-27 Europa League campaign with a 5-0 victory over NEC Nijmegen, while Crystal Palace opened their league phase with a 4-0 win over Lech Poznań on Thursday.
The results came during the opening round of the Europa League league phase, which began on September 16 and 17. UEFA’s new league-phase format features 36 teams, with each club playing eight matches.
Juventus Dominate NEC Nijmegen
Juventus were in control from the beginning at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
Nico Gonzalez opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Kerim Alajbegovic doubled the advantage. Nick Woltemade then converted a penalty to put Juventus 3-0 ahead before half-time.
Zeki Celik and Randal Kolo Muani added further goals after the break to complete a 5-0 victory.
The result gave Juventus an emphatic opening to their European campaign after they failed to qualify for the Champions League last season.
Juventus said five different players scored in the victory, with Gonzalez, Alajbegovic, Woltemade, Celik and Kolo Muani all finding the net.
Crystal Palace Sweep Aside Lech Poznań
Crystal Palace were equally impressive in London, defeating Polish side Lech Poznań 4-0 at Selhurst Park.
Yéremy Pino opened the scoring before Chris Richards and Jørgen Strand Larsen extended Palace’s advantage. Eddie Nketiah completed the scoring late in the match.
The victory marked a strong beginning to Palace’s first Europa League league-phase campaign.
Lech Poznań were also reduced to 10 players after Radosław Murawski was sent off.
Bournemouth Make European Debut With Win
Bournemouth also recorded a notable result, defeating Real Sociedad 2-1 away in San Sebastián in the English club’s first-ever European match.
Justin Kluivert and Rayan scored inside the opening 20 minutes to give Bournemouth a two-goal advantage. Real Sociedad pulled one back later, but Bournemouth held on for the victory.
Celtic Suffer Home Defeat
Celtic endured a difficult opening night, losing 3-1 at home to Ferencváros.
The Scottish champions’ defeat was among the less favourable results for the traditionally prominent clubs in the opening round.
Elsewhere, Beşiktaş defeated Marseille 4-1, while OFI Crete beat Hoffenheim 2-0.
Europa League Campaign Continues
The opening round has provided early points and momentum for the teams involved, but the league phase will continue through January 2027.
Juventus will next face Celta away on October 15, while Crystal Palace travel to Lyon on the same date. Bournemouth will host Sturm Graz.
With seven league-phase matches remaining for each club, the teams will continue competing for positions that determine progression to the knockout stage.
