Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group G - Juventus v Wydad Casablanca - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 22, 2025 Juventus' Kenan Yildiz celebrates scoring their third goal with Khephren Thuram REUTERS/Lee Smith
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -Juventus took a giant step closer to the Club World Cup round of 16 as they beat Wydad Casablanca 4-1 on Sunday thanks to an inspired performance by Kenan Yildiz.
The 20-year-old Turkish forward scored twice and played a key role in an own goal, as Igor Tudor's young squad won a fourth consecutive game and extended their two-month unbeaten run to seven matches.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT:
Tudor, who took over at Juventus in March following the dismissal of Thiago Motta, has overseen a remarkable turnaround at the Turin club who keep improving thanks to a core of young and talented players.
KEY QUOTES:
Juventus manager Tudor to DAZN: "It was a different game in terms of pace and timing (than the 5-0 win against Al Ain in their opener). We scored early on, but in football you always have to be careful in every situation, regardless of the result. (Yildiz) will decide how far he can go. He has important qualities at his disposal, he has pace and ideas, as well as a great mentality. Plus, he's a golden boy."
Juventus forward Yildiz to DAZN: "They say it was a double, but I think it was a hat-trick. I was the one who kicked the first goal, it deflected but I think the first one was mine too. I hope they change that later. I'm happy with my numbers, but all this is thanks to the team and we want to keep going. I think the second one is my best goal I have scored so far in my career. I think so, when I saw that I could shoot, I thought from that moment I would score a nice goal."
(Reporting by Fernando KallasEditing by Toby Davis)
