Europa League Roundup: Juventus Hit Five, Bournemouth Win On European Debut, Crystal Palace, Salzburg And Besiktas Among Winners

The opening round of the UEFA Europa League 26/27 season delivered plenty of goals, a couple of one-sided scorelines, and some standout individual displays, with home advantage counting for very little across Europe on Thursday night.

The biggest statement came in Turin, where Juventus thrashed NEC Nijmegen 5-0 at the Allianz Stadium. Nicolás González put the hosts ahead inside nine minutes before Kerim Alajbegović and a Nick Woltemade penalty made it 3-0 by half-time. Zeki Çelik then made it 4-0 in the 75th minute, finishing off a square ball from substitute Randal Kolo Muani. Kolo Muani then stole the show late on, adding the fifth himself in the 82nd minute after being set up by Jhon Lucumí.

In Istanbul, Beşiktaş put on a similarly commanding show, beating Marseille 4-1. Ibrahim Fakili opened the scoring inside 15 minutes, before Kaba Abdallah briefly leveled things for Marseille before halftime. Besiktas pulled away in the second half though, with Vaclav Cerny, Alexis Murillo and Emmanuel Poku all finding the net to complete a comfortable win for the home side.

Crystal Palace also made light work of their opener, beating Lech Poznań 4-0 at Selhurst Park. Yeremy Pino opened the scoring, Chris Richards headed in a second, Jorgen Strand Larsen converted a penalty, and Eddie Nketiah completed the rout late on. Pino was named player of the match.

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There were away wins too. Ferencváros shocked Celtic at Celtic Park, winning 3-1 despite the hosts dominating possession and territory. Yusuf Bamidele opened the scoring, before Mika Baur levelled for Celtic just before halftime. Kristoffer Zachariassen restored the lead for the visitors right at the end of the first half, and Daniel Arzani added a third early in the second to settle it. Bamidele was named player of the match after a goal and two assists. 

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise were just as efficient on the road, beating Viktoria Plzeň 3-0. Relebohile Mofokeng opened the scoring in the first half, before Mateo Biondic doubled the lead just before the break. Ondrej Kricfalusi rounded off the scoring with a header from a corner midway through the second half. Despite the scoreline, Viktoria goalkeeper Florian Wiegele was named player of the match after a string of impressive saves kept the score down.

Red Bull Salzburg edged past Levski Sofia 1-0 in Bulgaria, with Haris Tabaković's 39th-minute finish enough to settle it despite Levski having more shots overall. Midfielder Bartosz Mazurek was named man of the match for a tireless shift both on and off the ball.

Bournemouth got off to a winning start on their European debut, beating Real Sociedad 2-1 away from home. Justin Kluivert opened the scoring inside the first quarter of an hour, before Rayan doubled the lead soon after with a header. Sergio Gomez pulled one back for the hosts in the second half, but Bournemouth held firm defensively to see out the win. Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic was named player of the match after a string of important saves, while fans voted for goalscorer Rayan as their pick.

OFI Crete made the most of their limited chances at home, beating TSG Hoffenheim 2-0 despite having just 33 percent of the possession. Aitor Cantalapiedra opened the scoring in the first half, before substitute Georgios Kanellopoulos sealed it late on with a header. Goalkeeper Nikolaos Christogeorgos was named player of the match after a string of key saves kept Hoffenheim at bay throughout.

Finally, Torreense grabbed a hard-fought 2-1 win away at Lillestrøm, even after being reduced to ten men late on. Alejandro Alfaro headed the visitors in front in the first half, before Manuel Pozo doubled the lead early in the second. Substitute Thomas Lehne Olsen pulled one back for Lillestrom late on, and Torreense had Nuha Jatta sent off shortly after, but they managed to see out the remaining minutes to secure the three points. Felix Va was named player of the match for Lillestrom despite the defeat, while fans voted for Torreense goalscorer Alejandro Alfaro as their standout performer.