Juventus opened their Europa League campaign with a 5-0 home victory over Dutch side NEC Nijmegen on Thursday, while Olympique de Marseille suffered a 4-1 defeat away to Besiktas.
Juventus took the lead in the ninth minute after NEC goalkeeper Nikolas Polster failed to control the ball, allowing Nicolas Gonzalez to intercept and score.
Kerim Alajbegovic then doubled the hosts’ advantage before Nick Woltemade converted a penalty to put Juventus 3-0 ahead at half-time.
Zeki Celik added a fourth in the 75th minute before Polster again came out of his goal and failed to clear the danger. Randal Kolo Muani collected the loose ball and rolled it into an empty net to complete the rout.
Marseille’s difficult start to the season continued as Besiktas scored three second-half goals to secure a comprehensive victory. The French side had already suffered three consecutive defeats in Ligue 1.
Scottish champions Celtic also endured a disappointing night, losing 3-1 at home to Hungarian side Ferencvaros.
In London, Crystal Palace scored three first-half goals to beat Poland’s Lech Poznan 3-0, while Bournemouth secured a 2-1 away victory over Real Sociedad in Spain.
Norwegian side Lillestrom lost 2-1 at home to Portugal’s Torreense, who finished the match with 10 men after Nuha Jatta was sent off for a second yellow card late in the game.
Earlier, Greece’s OFI Crete defeated Germany’s Hoffenheim 2-0, while RB Salzburg recorded a 1-0 away win over Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia.
