Club WC: Juventus see off Wydad; Salzburg and Al Hilal play out goalless draw

Philadelphia, June 23 (IANS) A double from Kenan Yildiz - including a sensational strike - inspired Juventus to 4-1 win despite Wydad AC netting their first goal.

For the second game in a row, Wydad got off to the worst possible start when Juventus scored with their very first attack in the sixth minute. A patient build-up saw Kephren Thuram thread a clever reverse pass to Yildiz. The Turkish star's shot took a nick off Abdelmounaim Boutouil and the ball squeezed in at the near post.

If he was unlucky not to get the credit for the opener, there was no doubting where the credit belonged ten minutes later when Yildiz produced an early goal of the tournament contender, FIFA reports.

Good work from Andrea Cambiaso created the chance, and the Juve youngster absolutely fizzed an unstoppable effort into the top-right corner to give keeper Mehdi Benabid no chance.

However, Wydad gave themselves a lifeline in the 25th minute when Thembinkosi Lorch collected Nordin Amrabat's pass and clipped a tidy finish past Juve keeper Michele Di Gregorio.

The woodwork prevented Juve skipper Andrea Cambiaso from restoring their two-goal lead from a corner in the second half, before Randal Kolo Muani turned a cross wide from a couple of feet out.

But the Italians made sure of the points with more Yildiz magic when he collected a Muani pass, cut inside and tucked in a composed finish. Dusan Vlahovic then added further gloss to the scoreline in injury time when Guilherme Ferreira bundled him over and the Serbian striker converted the resulting penalty.

Elsewhere, FC Salzburg missed the chance to book their place in the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as they were held to a goalless draw by Al Hilal after a stunning point-blank save from Yassine Bounou.

Thomas Letsch’s side knew that a win would take them through after victory over CF Pachuca in their opening match, but neither side could break the deadlock at Audi Field in Washington D.C.

--IANS

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