Kenan Yildiz Scores Twice in Juventus' 4-1 Win in Club World Cup
Kenan Yildiz scored two goals in Juventus' 4–1 win over Wydad in the Club World Cup on Sunday.
The victory clinched a spot in the elimination round of the tournament for Juventus. In the sixth minute, Juventus took the lead as defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil deflected a shot attempt by Yildiz into the back of Wydad's net. Ten minutes later, Yildiz showed up again in front of the 31,975 fans in Lincoln Financial Field – less than half the stadium's capacity – to double Juventus' lead with a powerful volley into the top right corner. Wydad made it 2–1 in the 25th minute after a pass from team captain Nordin Amrabat left Thembinkosi Lorch one-on-one with Michele Di Gregorio, who wasn't able to stop Lorch's chip shot. Following the goal, the referee paused the match after Wydad's supporters threw three flares onto the field and set off red and black smoke in the stands that affected visibility on the field. The four-minute pause also served as a hydration break for the players as temperatures in Philadelphia reached 89 degrees in the first half.
With his second goal of the game, Yildiz secured the win for Juventus in the 69th minute after an assist by Randal Kolo Muani. In stoppage time, Dusan Vlahovic added a goal after converting a penalty kick.
Vlahovic's score in the 94th minute was key to make Juventus' goal differential better ahead of a tough match against Manchester City for the lead in Group G.
Juventus is through to the round of 16 of the Club World Cup. They will play Manchester City next Thursday to determine the leader of Group G. With the loss, Wydad is eliminated from the tournament. They will face Al Ain in a battle for third place in the group.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
37 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
'Craziest' Reversal of Fortune Puts Mavs on Path to Flagg After All the Doncic Drama
Dallas Mavericks CEO Rick Welts wasn't thinking even for a second about Cooper Flagg when he started a staff meeting before the draft lottery by saying the club was entering the most important offseason in franchise history. The longtime NBA executive and relatively new leader on the business side of the Mavs was thinking about the lingering fallout of the widely reviled Luka Dončić trade–not the club turning a 1.8 percent chance into winning the rights to draft the teenaged star from Duke. Dallas is set to make that pick Wednesday night. 'Never ever did anybody in our organization ever even say what would happen if we win. That's a waste of time,' Welts told The Associated Press recently. 'Like it's unbelievable. It was hard to even get your head around.' The self-inflicted wounds were numerous after general manager Nico Harrison's stunning decision to send Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in early February. Fans were incensed. Season-ticket holders were canceling. Potential new sponsors were telling Welts they'd have to think about it. Just like that, the Mavs had a vision to sell of a potential superstar who could someday be the face of the franchise–as Dončić was and fellow European superstar Dirk Nowitzki before him. Just like that, despair turned to hope for plenty of people, including those under Welts who had spent weeks dealing with the wrath of a spurned fan base. 'It's got to be the craziest reversal of fortune,' Welts said. 'It would match any in the league's history.' Before the Dončić trade, Welts had already made a decision to raise season-ticket prices. He told the AP he had to back off on the size of the increase as he watched the visceral reaction unfold. Welts has seen plenty in nearly 50 years with the NBA, including time in the league office and stints with Phoenix and Golden State. Magic Johnson's HIV announcement. Accusations of widespread drug use in the early 1980s when he says there was a widespread belief that the league would fail. That's not to say the Dončić fallout didn't have a profound impact on the 72-year-old Welts, who had come out of retirement to replace Cynt Marshall just a month and a half earlier. It just means he has weathered a few storms. And now the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer isn't so sure he's ever seen the sun come back out so quickly. 'The thing that I learned through all of this experience was what I knew was like this amazing emotional tie between this team and these fans was even stronger than I think anybody who hadn't lived here and been a part of it could ever imagine,' Welts said. 'Just the outpouring of pure joy and the idea of a generational player that could change our fortunes for the next 15 years would land with us by pure luck.' Harrison's widely panned decision on Dončić was compounded by an injury to Davis in his Dallas debut followed by Kyrie Irving's season-ending knee injury a month later. The Mavs made the play-in tournament and won at Sacramento before their season–mercifully, perhaps–ended in a loss at Memphis with the No. 8 seed at stake. Part of what made the Dončić deal so hard to believe was unloading a 25-year-old superstar in his prime nine months after leading Dallas to the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years. The Mavs lost to Boston in five games last June. Harrison's reasoning was prioritizing defense and his belief that Davis and Irving were a good enough tandem to keep Dallas as a championship contender. Flagg's potential gave that notion a boost. 'I feel like I'm a broken record, but the team that we intended to put on the floor, which you guys saw for 2 1/2 quarters, that's a championship-caliber team,' Harrison said. 'And so you might not like it, but that's the fact it is.' Welts, who believes the Mavs have work to do to bring their basketball and business sides together, will spend plenty of time during the early days of the Flagg era sharing his vision for a new arena. It's a big reason Welts took the job after spending seven years with Golden State on an arena plan that moved the Warriors across the bay to San Francisco from Oakland. He says all the talks are focused on keeping the team in Dallas. While the casino-centered Adelson and Dumont families of Las Vegas–in the middle of their second full year as owners of the Mavs–wanted gambling to be part of the formula for a new arena, the political realities in Texas have shifted the focus away from that idea for now. There's a new focus for Welts in what seems certain will be the final stop in an eventful NBA career: building everything around another potentially generational star after the Mavs jettisoned the one they had. 'Don't make this sound like I'm suggesting that everyone is forgiven,' Welts said. 'Luka will always be a big part of what this organization is. But for a large number of fans, it is a pathway–it's not a pathway, it's like a four-lane highway into being able to care about the Mavericks the way they cared about the Mavericks before.'
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
5 things we learned from Al-Hilal's draw with Red Bull Salzburg at FIFA Club World Cup
DC: Al-Hilal dominated Red Bull Salzburg on Sunday night in the second group match of the FIFA Club World Cup. The match was played at Audi Field, a mere three kilometres south of the White House in Washington, D.C. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport Yet while they ultimately failed to capitalise on possession, they could even have lost were it not for another superb performance from stand-out Yassine Bounou in goal. The 0-0 draw means no team from Group H has yet confirmed their place in the Round of 16, but with Hilal facing bottom-placed CF Pachuca on Thursday and Salzburg facing Real Madrid, the Riyadh club will be quietly confident of progressing, as long as they can find the net. Another draw and frustration for Inzaghi, but all is not lost New coach Simone Inzaghi knew his Al-Hilal team could not afford to lose if they were to stand any chance of progressing to the knock-out stages of this revamped 32-team tournament. The Italian went as far as to publicly say that anything less than victory would void all that was achieved against Real Madrid on Wednesday. A stalemate then against Salzburg — with strong emphasis on the word 'stale' — did little to clarify who might progress to the Round of 16. Inzaghi, however, must surely be privately if not publicly the happier of the two coaches. It was the fifth scoreless draw of the tournament so far, but it means Inzaghi's side are alive going into the final Group H match with Mexico's CF Pachuca. Now in third place with two points, the 2021 AFC Asian Champions League winners will progress should they win in Nashville by two clear goals. Madrid and Salzburg, tied on four points, will face off in Philadelphia with the Spanish giants' plus-two goal difference giving them an edge should they draw. Issues in attack continue Inzaghi will be keen to sharpen his attack before Thursday. Hilal failed to fire against an Austrian side that conceded 27 goals in just eight games during this season's revamped UEFA Champions League group stage. Yes, Aleksandar Mitrovic is missing, but Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo has scored 25 in 40 for the Riyadh club since joining last September. Getting the former Santos and Benfica forward firing will be key. Leonardo had Hilal's best chance against Salzburg, but his shot was blocked by Jacob Rasmussen. This is the second successive match where Hilal have dominated possession, but struggled in front of goal. Brazilian Malcom and captain Salem Al-Dawsari combined to score 39 goals and claim 35 assists in all competitions last season, but it is now close to 200 minutes in the United States without the team bulging the net from open play. Against Salzburg in the heat, that drought rarely looked like ending. For all the possession and 18 shots at goal, they managed only four on target, only one from inside the penalty area, and none truly troubled Christian Zawieschitzky. 'It is natural for us to be unhappy about not scoring goals,' Inzaghi said. 'This is a crucial match, and we put in a lot of effort, and we are working on improving and developing our performance as a team. We have only worked together for a week. I had a week in Saudi Arabia, and we have been in America for 10 days now. I am happy and convinced with all the decisions I have made.' 'Bono' stars again While Inzaghi will be quietly content that his new charges can still progress, he must be thankful once again to goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, because despite Hilal's dominance, only the Moroccan stopper prevented a tournament-ending defeat. Man of the match against Madrid, he replicated the feat in Washington with impressive saves from captain Mads Bidstrup and Karim Onisiwo, before saving his best for early in the second half. When Ghanaian striker Edmund Baidoo's shot fell at the feet of substitute John Mellberg, the son of former Juventus midfielder Olof must have thought he would open the scoring with practically his first touch. His first-time drive from just a few yards out though was somehow repelled at point-blank range by Bounou before the loose follow-up was cleared off the line by Kalidou Koulibaly. It seemed like desperate defending, but it retained a clean sheet and ultimately secured a point. Neves pulls strings and plays defence Ruben Neves, who scored from the spot against Madrid, again showed his importance to the Riyadh club. The Portuguese midfielder expertly connected defence with attack, spraying passes wide to the likes of Al-Dawsari, Renan Lodi, Malcom, and Joao Cancelo. With nobody able to capitalise on the Portuguese playmaker's distribution — including a first-half corner from which Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should have tested Zawieschitzky — Neves's most important play arguably came early in the second half. Samson Baidoo broke through and was ready to open the scoring before Neves showed he is more than just a clever passer, demonstrating surprising pace and a perfectly timed challenge to block the shot. When Hassan Al-Tambakti was forced off through injury, it was Neves who was dropped into the centre of defence alongside Koulibaly. Inzaghi said post-match that while he believes Al-Tambakti just needs rest, he is happy with his defensive options in Ali Lajami and Khalifa Al-Dawsari for the next match should he not recover in time. Heat a real hindrance With the match described by some pundits as the most boring of the tournament so far, the temperatures certainly did not help. Kicking off at 6pm with the temperature at 32°C — and feeling much hotter — the intensity levels dropped the longer the game went on. In the hydration breaks players covered their heads and necks with cold towels, while others sought short refuge in the shade. The Salzburg side that looked so energetic and dangerous against Pachuca failed to turn up. With 25 minutes remaining, the Austrians' coach, Thomas Letsch, removed Karim Onisiwo and Oscar Gloukh — his two goalscorers in the 2-1 win over Pachuca. If the move was supposed to reinvigorate the Salzburg attack, it fell flat. Hilal meanwhile looked leggy, which could be why the only efforts of note came from distance — Milinkovic-Savic and Joao Cancelo forcing comfortable saves from Zawieschitzky. 'One point is still OK,' Milinkovic-Savic told DAZN at full-time. 'We did a lot of things nice. It was just missing the goal. We created, kept the ball, and defended well, so I'm happy. Let's go to the last game — we need to win.' Hilal's final match is in Nashville with an 8pm local time kick-off, which will hopefully bring a little respite from the soaring temperatures.
Al Arabiya
5 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Improved of late, the Orioles still face an uphill climb to avoid a lost season
A year ago, the Baltimore Orioles looked like a dynasty in the making. Since then, they've been thoroughly mediocre, and even an improved stretch recently hasn't helped their outlook much for 2025. After losing two of three to the Yankees in New York, the Orioles are 11 games under .500. They've gone 17–10 over their last 27, so perhaps the worst is over, but over the last 162 regular-season games, Baltimore is 75–87. It's a remarkable decline for a team that won 101 games in 2023, started 49–25 last year, and had a core of standouts that was young and cost controlled. Injuries have been a major factor, with catcher and former No. 1 overall draft pick Adley Rutschman the latest big name to go on the IL. Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez hasn't pitched at all this year. Zach Eflin has made only 11 starts with a 5.46 ERA, and outfielder Colton Cowser and infielder Jordan Westburg have missed significant time as well. The front office has received little sympathy following an offseason in which ace Corbin Burnes departed, and the Orioles replaced him with stopgap solutions on one-year deals. Although Baltimore is just 6 1/2 games out of a postseason spot, FanGraphs isn't a believer, giving the Orioles just a 3.7 percent chance of making the playoffs. Baltimore is one of five 2024 postseason participants that would miss out if this season ended today. Here are the others: SAN DIEGO (42–35 record, 39.3 percent postseason chance, according to FanGraphs): The Padres are a half-game behind resurgent Milwaukee for the last spot in the National League playoffs. San Diego has been treading water since a 23–11 start, and its division just became more interesting after San Francisco acquired Rafael Devers. CLEVELAND (39–37, 34.1 percent): The Guardians are tied for the final American League spot but would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker to Seattle if the season ended now. Detroit has opened an 8 1/2-game lead in the AL Central, so unless Cleveland can cut into that significantly, it'll be a wild card or bust for the Guardians down the stretch. ATLANTA (35–41, 27.3 percent): The talent is there, but this past week was typical for the 2025 Braves, who followed up a three-game sweep of the Mets by losing two of three to Miami. KANSAS CITY (38–40, 20.0 percent): Bobby Witt Jr. can only do so much–only the Pirates have scored fewer runs than the Royals. But the bar in the AL is low, and Kansas City can probably stay in the mix. Trivia time: In honor of the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, name the five current major league franchises that have won the World Series in multiple cities. Line of the week: Clarke Schmidt threw seven hitless innings for the New York Yankees on Saturday in their 9–0 win over Baltimore. The Orioles managed only one hit on the day–against the New York bullpen. Comeback of the week: The Orioles led 8–0 in the third inning at Tampa Bay on Wednesday before the Rays stormed back to win 12–8. Tampa Bay had a 2 percent chance to win at the start of the third, according to Baseball Savant. Yennier Cano allowed four runs in the fifth to tie the game, and he was sent down to the minors later in the week. Andrew Kittredge then allowed four in the seventh. That's the issue for the Orioles. Will their pitching allow the kind of hot streak they'd need to jump back into the playoff race? Trivia answer: The Athletics (Philadelphia and Oakland), Braves (Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta), Dodgers (Brooklyn and Los Angeles), Giants (New York and San Francisco), and Twins (Washington and Minnesota).
