Juventus put five past NEC as 47 goals define Europa League opening round

Juventus opened Europa League League Stage - 1 at the top of the early table after a 5-0 win over NEC Nijmegen, the round’s biggest victory. Nicolás Iván Gonzalez scored in the ninth minute, followed by Kerim Alajbegovic, Nick Woltemade from the penalty spot, Zeki Çelik and Randal Kolo Muani. NEC now sit 36th with a goal difference of -5.

Big wins shape the opening table

Crystal Palace also made a strong start, defeating Lech Poznan 4-0. Yeremy Pino, Chris Richards, Jörgen Strand Larsen from the penalty spot and Eddie Nketiah found the net, with Nketiah scoring in the 89th minute. Lech are 35th on goal difference of -4.

Beşiktaş put four past Marseille in a 4-1 victory. Ilhan Fakili and Keyliane Abdallah scored before half-time, while Václav Černý and Amir Murillo extended the lead after the interval. Ernest Poku added the fifth goal of the match in the 81st minute. Beşiktaş are fourth in the supplied standings with a goal difference of three.

Sparta Praha won 4-1 away to Ararat-Armenia, with T. Guddal scoring twice in two minutes, at 20 and 22 minutes. J. Mercado and B. R. Wilson Valdez also scored for the winners, while P. Vydra completed the scoring. Guddal is the round’s leading scorer with two goals. Sparta are third, level on three points with the other opening-round winners near the top.

Benfica and Union St. Gilloise among the winners

Benfica beat AC Milan 2-0 through goals from D. Lukebakio and J. Kaminski. Lyon came from behind to win 2-1 at Anderlecht: N. Nartey put the hosts ahead, before K. Nakamura and M. Cvetkovic scored for Lyon.

Union St. Gilloise recorded a clear 3-0 win at Plzen. Relebohile Mofokeng, Mateo Biondic and Ondrej Kricfalusi scored, leaving Plzen 34th with a -3 goal difference. Ferencvarosi TC won 3-1 at Celtic, with Bamidele Isa Yusuf, Mika Baur and Kristoffer Zachariasen on the scoresheet. Daniel Arzani replied for Celtic. Ferencvarosi are sixth with a goal difference of two.

Bayer Leverkusen defeated Celje 2-0 after S. Seslar’s own goal and F. Medina’s 74th-minute strike. Red Bull Salzburg won 1-0 at Levski Sofia through Haris Tabaković, while Sunderland beat AZ Alkmaar by the same score, E. Le Fee converting a 66th-minute penalty.

Tight margins and goalless draws

Torreense won 2-1 at Lillestrom. Alejandro Alfaro and Manuel Pozo gave the visitors control before Thomas Lehne Olsen reduced the deficit. OFI beat 1899 Hoffenheim 2-0, with Aitor Cantalapiedra and Georgios Kanellopoulos scoring.

Olympiakos Piraeus edged Jagiellonia 2-1. K. Szmyt scored first for the visitors, but A. Gonzalez levelled before R. Yaremchuk settled the match in the 84th minute. Omonia Nicosia left it even later to defeat Celta Vigo 1-0, J. Balkovec scoring in the 88th minute.

Bournemouth won 2-1 at Real Sociedad after goals from Justin Kluivert and Rayan Vitor Simplício Rocha, with Sergio Gómez scoring for the hosts. Hapoel Beer Sheva and Dinamo Zagreb drew 0-0, as did Sturm Graz and Rennes. Across 18 matches, 47 goals were scored. Juventus lead the standings on goal difference, while Plzen, Lech Poznan and NEC Nijmegen occupy the bottom three places after opening defeats.