Brilliant Yildiz Leads Juventus Into Club World Cup Knockouts

Kenan Yildiz stole the show as Juventus cruised into the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup with a commanding 4–1 win over Wydad Casablanca. The young Turkish forward scored twice and was central to everything positive the Bianconeri produced in their second group-stage outing.

It all began inside the opening six minutes. Yildiz darted into the left side of the box and attempted a low cross, which Moroccan defender Achraf Boutoil inadvertently deflected into his own net — though the own goal hardly reflected the dominance Juventus would assert.

Just ten minutes later, Yildiz doubled the lead himself, smashing an unstoppable drive into the top corner from the edge of the box. Wydad, to their credit, responded with spirit and pulled one back midway through the first half when Amrabat played in Lorch, who calmly slotted past Di Gregorio to make it 2–1.

The second half saw fewer chances until Yildiz struck again on 69 minutes, dancing past a defender in the box and drilling the ball into the far bottom corner. A moment of class that underscored his growing stature in the Juventus squad.

Wydad pressed in the dying minutes and twice came close to a second, but Di Gregorio stood firm. The final word belonged to Dusan Vlahovic, who won and converted a stoppage-time penalty to complete the 4–1 scoreline.

With six points from two games, Juventus have secured their place in the knockout stages of the tournament. Their final group-stage clash against Manchester City will now decide who tops the group.

2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Juventus - Wydad AC 4:1 (2:1)
Goals: Boutouil, 6 (own goal) (1:0); Yildiz Kenan, 16 (2:0); Lorch, 25 (2:1); Yildiz Kenan, 69 (3:1); Vlahović, 94 (penalty) (4:1)

Juventus: Di Gregorio; Alberto Costa (Gonzalez N., 72); Kelly Ll.; Kalulu; Cambiaso А.; Savona; Thuram-Ulien; Conceicao F. (Locatelli, 73); McKennie (Koopmeiners T., 46); Yildiz Kenan (Gatti, 85); Kolo Muani (Vlahović, 73)
Bench: Pinsoglio; Daffara; Garofani; Rugani; Rouhi; Douglas Luiz; Adžić; Mbangula; Kostić F.; Weah
Yellow Cards: Thuram-Ulien 77

Wydad AC: Benabid; Moufid; Boutouil (Harkass, 78); Moufi (Aziz Ki, 87); Meijers Bа. (Mwalimu, 46); Oliveira G.; Moubarik; Zemraoui (Mailula, 78); Lorch; Obeng (Al-Somah, 46); Amrabat N.
Bench: El Motie; Boucheta; Malsa; Benktib; Moutaraji; Rayhi; Pedrinho
Yellow Cards: Meijers Bа. 23; Oliveira G. 51