Juventus thrash Nijmegen 5:0 as Europa League begins, Marseille fall in Istanbul

Thursday, September 17, saw the final seven matches of the first round of the UEFA Europa League. The standout result came from Turin, where Juventus crushed Dutch club Nijmegen 5:0 at home.

Juventus dominant from the start

The Italian side took the lead early after Nijmegen's goalkeeper failed to control a long pass out of his box, leaving Nicolas Gonzalez to slot the ball into an empty net. Midway through the first half, 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic doubled the lead, finding space unmarked after passive Nijmegen defending. Before the break, Nijmegen's Clement Bischoff had to leave the pitch with an injury, and shortly after Nick Woltemade converted a penalty to make it 3:0. In the second half, although Nijmegen had more possession, Juventus added two more through Zeki Celik and Kolo Muani to seal the 5:0 win.

Results elsewhere

Istanbul's Besiktas beat Marseille 4:1 at home, taking the lead in the 15th minute before Marseille equalized; Besiktas then scored three unanswered goals in the second half. London's Crystal Palace defeated Poznan's Lech 4:0, though they finished the match with ten men after a red card late on. Bournemouth won 2:1 away against Real Sociedad.

Other first-round winners included Red Bull Salzburg, Ferencvaros, Union SG and Torreense, while several matches, including Sturm Graz against Rennes, ended in draws.