Juventus hit NEC for five as Palace and Bournemouth win on Europa League debuts

Juventus opened their Europa League league phase with a 5-0 win over NEC Nijmegen on 17 September, on a night when Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, both described by UEFA as debutants, opened their campaigns with wins.

Palace beat Lech Poznan 4-0, while Bournemouth went to the Reale Arena and beat Real Sociedad 2-1. UEFA labelled Bournemouth's result the club's first UEFA win.

Juventus make light work of NEC

Juventus were in front inside nine minutes through Nico González.

Kerim Alajbegovic doubled the lead in the 24th minute from a Weston McKennie assist, and Nick Woltemade converted a penalty in the 35th to make it 3-0 before the break, according to Yahoo Sports.

The second half followed the same pattern. Zeki Çelik added a fourth in the 75th minute, set up by Randal Kolo Muani, and Kolo Muani then got on the scoresheet himself in the 82nd to complete the rout.

Five different scorers and a clean sheet is about as comfortable an opening night as a club could ask for, and it gives Juventus a healthy goal difference at the start of a league phase in which such margins can matter.

Palace cruise, Bournemouth dig in

Crystal Palace's opening match ended 4-0 against Lech Poznan. UEFA and ESPN both list it as a Europa League win, a scoreline that announced Palace as a side intending to do more than make up the numbers.

Bournemouth's evening at the Reale Arena was tighter, but no less significant for the club.

Justin Kluivert put them ahead in the 12th minute after Adrien Truffert's assist, and eight minutes later Rayan headed in a second from an Alex Scott delivery, according to Yahoo Sport. Two goals up inside 20 minutes away from home is a remarkable way to start a first European match.

Real Sociedad pulled one back through Sergio Gómez in the 58th minute, assisted by Luken Beitia. Bournemouth held firm, and the 2-1 win went down as the first in their history in UEFA competition.

It did not prove a one-off. ESPN lists Bournemouth's next two Europa League results as 3-0 wins over Sturm Graz on 15 October and AC Milan on 22 October, which were Matchdays 2 and 3 of the league phase according to UEFA's calendar. Three wins from three, with a 3-0 defeat of Milan among them, is a start few would have predicted for a club playing its first European season.

What comes next

The league phase resumes on 5 November, and all three clubs are in action that night.