NEC’s return to European competition was supposed to be an occasion. A statement night in Turin, a chance to measure themselves against a giant. Instead, Dick Schreuder’s side walked into a Juventus storm and left with a brutal 5–0 defeat that laid bare the gulf in class.
The scoreline was heavy. The manner of it hurt more.
Early Warning, Early Collapse
NEC barely had time to settle before the alarm bells rang. In the third minute, Federico Gatti thought he had opened the scoring, bundling the ball in after a scramble, only for the referee to rule it out for a foul on stand‑in goalkeeper Nikolas Polster.
It felt like a reprieve. It wasn’t.
Juventus simply went again. When Nicolás González burst clear shortly after, Polster charged from his line and got it horribly wrong, completely missing the ball. González did not need a second invitation, rolling in the easiest of finishes for 1–0. NEC’s Europa League campaign had begun with a gift.
From there, Juventus tightened their grip.
Polster briefly held them at bay, reacting well to push away a Nick Woltemade header. It only delayed the inevitable. Kerim Alajbegovic picked up the ball from distance, took aim, and unleashed a ferocious strike that screamed past the NEC keeper for 2–0. No keeper was stopping that.
The pressure kept mounting. Almugera Kabar’s mistimed challenge on González in the box left the referee with a simple decision. Penalty. Woltemade stepped up and calmly sent Polster the wrong way for 3–0. Inside the first half, the contest was effectively over.
In the middle of that onslaught came another blow. Clement Bischoff pulled up with what looked like a hamstring problem and had to make way, with Dennis Geiger thrown into a game already running away from NEC.
NEC’s Flickers of Hope
For all the damage on the scoreboard, NEC did not completely fold. They clawed their way into the match and carved out a handful of chances before the break.
Noé Lebreton forced Kamil Grabara into action, Kabar also tested the Juventus goalkeeper, and Bryan Linssen found space only to lash his effort over. Half chances, nothing more, but at least a sign that Schreuder’s side could still breathe in the intensity of Turin.
Juventus, though, never looked rattled. They simply managed the game, confident, composed, and always ready to strike again.
Second Half Drifts, Then Juventus Strike Again
The second half opened in a lower gear. Juventus eased off, NEC tried to stitch together some possession, and for a while the game drifted.
NEC’s threat narrowed to a single source. Geiger, one of the few bright spots after coming on, let fly from distance with a long‑range effort that carried intent but not quite the precision to trouble Grabara seriously. It summed up NEC’s night: willing, but blunt.
Juventus, content with their cushion, waited for the moments to appear. They usually do in games like this.
They arrived in the final quarter of an hour.
Randal Kolo Muani, lively and direct, drove into the area and cut the ball back perfectly for Zeki Çelik, who arrived on cue to sweep in the fourth. NEC’s defenders were static, the punishment ruthless.
Moments later, Kolo Muani took centre stage himself. Slipped through on goal, he glided past the advancing Polster, rounded him with ease, and rolled in Juventus’ fifth. No drama, no fuss. Just a cold finish to complete a harsh lesson.
A Long Road Ahead
When the whistle went, the scoreboard read 5–0. For NEC, it told only part of the story: defensive errors, an early injury, missed chances, and a Juventus side that never needed to hit maximum power to inflict maximum damage.
Schreuder’s team now know exactly what this level demands. The question is not how heavy this defeat was. It’s how quickly they can turn this bruising introduction into a response in the games to come.
