Juventus, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace Make Strong Europa League Starts

Posted : 18 September 2026

Juventus opened their 2026/27 Europa League campaign with a commanding 5-0 victory over NEC Nijmegen, while Bournemouth marked their first appearance in European competition with a 2-1 away win against Real Sociedad.

Juventus were in control from the early stages at the Allianz Stadium. Nicolas Gonzalez capitalised on a defensive error to put the Italian side ahead in the ninth minute before Kerim Alajbegovic doubled the advantage. Nick Woltemade then converted a penalty to send Juventus into half-time with a 3-0 lead.

Zeki Celik extended the advantage in the second half before Randal Kolo Muani completed the scoring after another mistake from NEC goalkeeper Nikolas Polster. The result gave Juventus a convincing opening-night victory as they begin their campaign in Europe's second-tier competition.

Bournemouth also enjoyed a memorable European debut in San Sebastian. Justin Kluivert scored the club's first-ever European goal after 11 minutes before Rayan doubled the lead with a header nine minutes later.

Real Sociedad pulled one back when Sergio Gomez's attempted cross found its way into the far corner, but Bournemouth held firm to secure a 2-1 victory. The result came despite Marco Rose's side still searching for their first Premier League win of the season.

Crystal Palace produced another convincing result, defeating Lech Poznan 4-0 at Selhurst Park. Yeremy Pino opened the scoring after taking advantage of a poor throw-in before Chris Richards made it 2-0. Jørgen Strand Larsen added a penalty and Eddie Nketiah completed the scoring late in the match.

Celtic, meanwhile, endured another difficult European night as Ferencvaros claimed a 3-1 victory at Celtic Park. Liam Scales' own goal and a strike from Kristoffer Zachariassen put the Hungarian visitors in control, while Daniel Arzani added another memorable goal against his former club.

Elsewhere, Besiktas defeated Marseille 4-1 in Istanbul, with the French club suffering their fourth consecutive defeat. Union Saint-Gilloise also recorded a 3-0 win over Viktoria Plzen, while Torreense secured a 2-1 victory away to Lillestrom.

The opening Europa League matchday therefore produced strong results for Juventus, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, while Celtic and Marseille were left needing improvements in their upcoming fixtures.

Juventus, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace Make Strong Europa League Starts

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