Juventus in control as three first-half goals put NEC Nijmegen under pressure

Juventus took a commanding 3-0 lead over NEC Nijmegen at half-time in their Europa League match at the Allianz Stadium, after a first period dominated by Luciano Spalletti’s side.

Nicolas Gonzalez opened the scoring in the ninth minute when he capitalised on an unsuccessful attempt by Polster to deal with a long ball from Grabara. The forward took advantage of the error to give Juventus an early lead.

The Italian side continued to control the match and doubled their advantage in the 24th minute. Kerim Alajbegovic found the top corner with a well-placed strike, leaving NEC Nijmegen facing a difficult task before the interval.

Juventus then added a third goal from the penalty spot in the 35th minute. Nick Woltemade converted the spot-kick to complete a highly effective first half for the hosts.

NEC Nijmegen have struggled to create a serious threat, with Linssen and Thomas both attempting efforts without managing to beat Grabara. The Dutch side’s problems were compounded by an injury to Bischoff in the 32nd minute, forcing him to leave the match. Geiger came on as his replacement.

Juventus therefore go into the break with a three-goal advantage after a first half in which they made their dominance count.