Juventus Bounces Back with a 5-0 Rout in the Europa League: NEC Overwhelmed 5-0

Juventus got off to a winning start in the Europa League, putting their ugly loss to Sassuolo behind them at Allianz Stadium by taking out their frustration on the hapless Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, whom they crushed 5-0. Nico Gonzalez put the Bianconeri ahead in the 9th minute, thanks to a direct assist from goalkeeper Grabara—but above all, due to the other goalkeeper’s blunder, who came completely off his line.

In the 24th minute, Juventus doubled their lead with Kerim Alajbegovic’s first goal in a Juventus jersey, set up by McKennie at the edge of the box. Before halftime, there was even time for a third goal, effectively sealing the deal a half early. The penalty earned by Nico Gonzalez was converted by Woltemade. In the second half, there was a flurry of substitutions and two more goals: Kolo Muani first set up Celik for the 4-0 goal and then sealed the victory himself by scoring the fifth.

Antonio Conte was not in the stands. The former Juventus coach—who has been the subject of persistent rumors in recent days regarding a possible return to replace the embattled Luciano Spalletti—ultimately decided to stay home, perhaps to avoid putting further pressure on a colleague and a team already struggling after their heavy defeat to Sassuolo.

Conte most likely watched the game comfortably on TV anyway, awaiting developments regarding a future in which he could once again be the coach of the Old Lady. This decision, however, stands in contrast to the one he made 24 hours earlier, when the former national team coach was spotted in the stands at San Siro for Milan’s first European match. His presence inevitably fueled speculation about his future, especially since his name has been linked in recent weeks not only to Juventus but also to Milan.