Nick Woltemade Scores First Juventus Goal, Earning Coach Spalletti's Praise

Nick Woltemade found the net for the first time for Italian giants Juventus on Thursday evening.

The German forward scored his inaugural goal for the Bianconeri during his first start for the club in the Europa League. Playing against Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen, Woltemade converted a penalty in the 35th minute, making it 3-0 at the time in a match that ultimately finished 5-0.

Coach Luciano Spalletti deployed Woltemade as the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Supporting him were Nico Gonzalez, Weston McKennie, and Kerim Alajbegovic, all former Bundesliga professionals.

Juventus took an early lead. A significant error from keeper Nikolas Polster, combined with an assist from keeper Kamil Grabara, allowed Gonzalez to score the opening goal in the 8th minute at the Juventus Stadium.

Alajbegovic doubled the lead with an impressive shot from 16 meters (24th minute), before Woltemade stepped up to take his penalty. Notably, Gonzalez handed the ball to the German before the spot-kick and patted his teammate encouragingly on the head. After Woltemade sent Polster the wrong way and scored into the bottom left corner, his teammates celebrated with him, and coach Spalletti offered applause from the sidelines.

Prior to his goal, Woltemade had one clear chance in the 23rd minute, but his difficult close-range shot was saved by Polster. He remained on the field until the 83rd minute, when he was substituted for midfield talent Augusto Owusu. The home fans gave him a standing ovation.

Zeki Celik (75th minute) and substitute Randal Kolo Muani, a former Eintracht Frankfurt player (82nd minute), completed the rout for Juventus in the second half. Kolo Muani also benefited from a costly mistake by Nijmegen's goalkeeper Polster, who misjudged a long ball and failed to reach it.

Nick Woltemade Named in Bundestrainer Jürgen Klopp's Squad

This was Woltemade's first start since joining Juventus on loan from Newcastle United a few weeks ago. Until now, he had made only two substitute appearances for his new club, failing to register any points in 44 minutes of play. Minor criticism had surfaced in the media, and Spalletti himself had publicly expressed reservations.

Juventus faces Atalanta Bergamo at home in Serie A this weekend (Sunday, 6 PM). Following this match, there will be an international break. Woltemade is part of the squad for the new German national team coach Jürgen Klopp for the upcoming Nations League matches against Serbia (October 1st) and Greece (October 4th).