Kenan Yildiz had a hand in all three goals as Juventus put themselves on the brink of the Club World Cup last 16 with a 4-1 win over Wydad Casablanca.
Juve began their campaign by crushing Al Ain 5-0 and, while they were less dominant in Philadelphia on Sunday, Yildiz’s superb performance at Lincoln Financial Field moved them towards the knockout rounds.
Yildiz’s deflected strike opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a goal given as an own goal by the unfortunate Abdelmounaim Boutouil.
The 20-year-old made it 2-0 with a sublime long-range effort soon after and, though Thembinkosi Lorch pulled one back for Wydad, Yildiz made sure of the points with a well-taken second in the 69th minute.
Dusan Vlahovic, linked with a move away from the club, netted from the penalty spot to round off the victory in stoppage time. Juve’s place in the last 16 is not yet confirmed but, with Manchester City facing Al Ain later on Sunday, it is highly likely Juve and City will be facing off for top spot in Group G on Thursday.
Juventus v Wydad Casablanca
Fortune was against Wydad for the opener as Yildiz played the ball into Khephren Thuram and continued his run, receiving the return pass before seeing his near-post effort deflected beyond El Mehdi Benabid by Boutouil.
There was no doubt that the game’s second goal belonged to Yildiz 10 minutes later when he found the net with a stunning drive into the top-right corner after excellent work from Andrea Cambiasso.
But Wydad responded well and the man who threatened most for them against City halved the deficit, Lorch lifting the ball over Michele Di Gregorio after being found with a perfectly weighted pass by Nordin Amrabat.
Wydad did not threaten consistently thereafter, though, and Juve dictated terms in an increasingly tempestuous second half.
Andrea Cambiasso struck the post from Francisco Conceicao’s corner before Randal Kolo Muani somehow failed to turn home Lloyd Kelly’s left-wing cross, with Juve’s pressure telling as Yildiz doubled his tally.
The Turkey forward slid home an assured finish after Kolo Muani cut in from the left flank and played him in with a precise throughball.
Mohammed Moufid wasted a gilt-edged chance to give Wydad late hope when he headed over from a corner from close range, and Vlahovic promptly made the scoreline more emphatic by finding the bottom-right corner from 12 yards after Guilherme Ferreira’s clumsy foul.
