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Woltemade delighted with first Juventus goal in thumping Europa League win

·By Junior Yekini
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Woltemade delighted with first Juventus goal in thumping Europa League win

Juventus/X.com

Nick Woltemade scored his first goal for Juventus during Thursday's 5-0 Europa League win over NEC, converting from the penalty spot in Turin itself.

"I'm really happy, especially with the good result. Winning at home is always positive, I think we played well and I'm pleased to have scored my first goal — it was a nice evening," Woltemade told Sky Sport.

The striker said getting off the mark mattered more to him than the manner of the performance around it.

"Honestly, you can play as well as you like, but for a forward the goal is always the most important thing. It will help me settle in — I want to thank Nico González for letting me take the penalty," he said.

Still adjusting to life in Italy just weeks into his Juventus career, Woltemade admitted the transition remains a work in progress.

"For me everything is new, I still don't speak Italian and every week I learn something. I'm not satisfied yet, I'm thinking about how I can improve to help the team," he said.

The forward also touched on his recent call-up to the Germany squad, though he was quick to keep his focus on domestic matters first.

"Playing for Germany is really special, I'm excited, but first I need to think about Sunday's match," he said.

Woltemade joined Juventus on a season-long loan from Newcastle United at the start of September, arriving in Turin in search of a fresh start after a difficult spell in the Premier League. The Germany international had moved to Newcastle for a club-record fee of around £69 million last summer, following a breakout campaign at VfB Stuttgart, but found himself increasingly out of favour under successive head coaches and had slipped behind other options in the centre-forward pecking order before the move to Italy was arranged.

Thursday's goal offered an early sign that the change of scenery could help him rediscover the form that first made him one of German football's most coveted young strikers.