Juventus 4 Wydad 1 – Majestic Yildiz denied brilliant hat-trick, flares on pitch and surprising match-ups

New York Times

3 hours ago

Kenan Yildiz was the star as his two brilliant goals helped Juventus continue their 100 per cent start to the Club World Cup.
The young Turk's first-half wonderstrike and winding finish in the second were the highlights. He was denied a hat-trick, however, as the first Juve goal, after great work from Yildiz, was given as a own goal. Wydad gave their raucous fans a first goal of the tournament to celebrate when Thembinkosi Lorch pulled one back, which led to a flare being thrown on to the pitch and smoke engulfing much of the playing area. A Juve penalty completed the scoring.
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The final group games take place on June 26, with Juve facing City and Wydad taking on Al Ain.
Here Steve Madeley and Larry Henry Jr break down the action from Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia.
Juventus's Turkey international Kenan Yildiz is only 20 but in a relatively short senior career, he has made a habit of scoring goals that are a little out of the ordinary.
So when Andrea Cambiaso rolled a pass to him on the edge of the Wydad penalty area 16 minutes into his latest game, Juventus fans would have had an inkling what might be about to happen.
Sure enough, Yildiz made an incredibly difficult piece of technique look ridiculously simple, connecting with the outside portion of the laces of his right boot to propel the ball with a cocktail of power, precision and swerve that took it away from helpless goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid and into the top corner.
It should have been no surprise, coming as it did from a player who announced his first-team arrival with a superb first senior goal against Frosinone in Serie A in December 2023.
He then scored the first goal in the revamped Champions League group stage in September with a stunner against PSV Eindhoven (below).
If his talent needed underlining further against Wydad, it was in the second half as he scored a goal with echoes of his strike against Frosinone to complete a 'spiritual hat-trick', even though he will not be credited with an actual one.
That was because the opening Juventus goal, which was entirely down to Yildiz's mesmeric dribbling and near-post shot, went down as a own-goal for Abdelmounaim Boutouil.
Steve Madeley
The Wydad supporters were out in bunches again at Lincoln Financial Field, providing a deafening atmosphere from the pre-match warm-ups through the final whistle.
Similar to Wednesday's match against Manchester City, the Wydad supporters chanted loudly, banged their drums, and even threw a few flares onto the field, not far from goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid (see below) following Lorch's goal in the 25th minute.
A PA announcement was made in the 44th minute reminding fans that pyrotechnic usage was prohibited, but Wydad supporters responded to the intercom message by setting off three or four additional flares in the stands. They then booed the half-time whistle from referee Said Martinez as it was blown with Wydad in the ascendance.
While Manchester City, Chelsea, and Juventus have garnered most of the headlines in Philadelphia, the scenes left from the Wydad, Flamengo, and Esperance de Tunis fans have certainly left a positive impression in the city.
Larry Henry Jr
This Club World Cup is a dream come true for fans of high-profile blasts from the past. Whether it is Sergio Ramos scoring for Mexican side Monterrey, Edinson Cavani rolling back the years for Boca Juniors or any number of former Premier League folk heroes lining up for Al Hilal, the tournament is a hotbed for former stars enjoying another day in the spotlight.
But it was the turn of two of the Premier League's less heralded players to go head to head in Philadelphia.
Nordin Amrabat, who joined Wydad from Hull City just before this tournament, and Lloyd Kelly (who moved to Juve from Newcastle earlier this year) had met before, in the relatively less glamorous surroundings of Watford's Vicarage Road in a 2017 Carabao Cup tie.
Just over 9,000 fans watched Amrabat's Watford side lose to 3-2 Kelly's Bristol City in that game, and both came up against each other several times on Sunday. Amrabat got the assist for Wydad's goal as well as sending in several dangerous crosses.
Steve Madeley
Thursday, June 26: Manchester City, Club World Cup group stage (Orlando), 3pm ET, 8pm UK
Thursday, June 26: Al Ain, Club World Cup group stage (Washington), 3pm ET, 8pm UK