Soccer-Yildiz shines as Tudor's young Juventus side maintain momentum
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)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
39 minutes ago
- The Sun
Pogba says he is talking to a club about comeback after ban
FORMER France midfielder Paul Pogba, who wants to resume his career after a doping ban, said on French television on Sunday he is 'talking' with a club, which sources close to him said was Monaco. The 32-year-old also said he had re-established contact with his brother Mathias, sentenced to a year in prison last December for his involvement in a plot to extort 13 million euros ($15 million) from the 2018 World Cup winner. Pogba, who played for Manchester United and Juventus, is hoping to put three chaotic years behind him. Pogba suffered through repeated injuries and patchy form that led to his departure from United in 2022. He returned for a second stint at Juventus, where his problems continued. He failed a drugs test after a game in Italy in August 2023 and was handed a four-year doping ban, which was reduced 18 months on appeal. It ended in March. 'It was very, very hard,' he said. He said he was 'talking' to a club, which multiple sources said was Ligue 1 Monaco. Pogba said he was determined 'to get back on the pitch, mentally ready, physically ready, it's just a matter of time'. The extortion case involving six men linked to Paul Pogba shocked France because the perpetrators included three childhood friends and his own brother. The five other defendants were found guilty of extortion, kidnapping and detention, as well as participation in a criminal association, and sentenced to up to eight years in prison. All six were also fined. Paul Pogba said he was talking to Mathias who is being allowed to serve his sentence wearing an electronic bracelet rather than behind bars. 'We are in contact. We've spoken, among ourselves, with the family,' Paul Pogba said. 'It's a blood bond. There was a scar, of course. We're moving forward. Only time can give us answers.' 'All we want is to always be united as a family. That's the most important thing. It's hard. Of course it's very hard, I'm not going to lie. I was hurt. It's not the same as before, but we're in touch,' he added. Paul Pogba was held at gunpoint in 2022 by two hooded men who demanded money. He said on Sunday that he was initially willing to pay but 'afterwards, I cracked,' he said, deciding 'to speak out, even if it meant dying' and refusing 'to throw away my money like that'. He said the ban and the court case had changed him 'I learned a lot during this period,' Pogba said. 'I did a lot of cleaning around myself too. I am also much closer to my family, my children.'
New Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Pogba talking to a club about comeback after ban
PARIS: Former France midfielder Paul Pogba, who wants to resume his career after a doping ban, said on French television on Sunday he is "talking" with a club, which sources close to him said was Monaco. The 32-year-old also said he had re-established contact with his brother Mathias, sentenced to a year in prison last December for his involvement in a plot to extort 13 million euros (US$15 million) from the 2018 World Cup winner. Pogba, who played for Manchester United and Juventus, is hoping to put three chaotic years behind him. Pogba suffered through repeated injuries and patchy form that led to his departure from United in 2022. He returned for a second stint at Juventus, where his problems continued. He failed a drugs test after a game in Italy in August 2023 and was handed a four-year doping ban, which was reduced 18 months on appeal. It ended in March. "It was very, very hard," he said. He said he was "talking" to a club, which multiple sources said was Ligue 1 Monaco. Pogba said he was determined "to get back on the pitch, mentally ready, physically ready, it's just a matter of time". The extortion case involving six men linked to Paul Pogba shocked France because the perpetrators included three childhood friends and his own brother. The five other defendants were found guilty of extortion, kidnapping and detention, as well as participation in a criminal association, and sentenced to up to eight years in prison. All six were also fined. Paul Pogba said he was talking to Mathias who is being allowed to serve his sentence wearing an electronic bracelet rather than behind bars. "We are in contact. We've spoken, among ourselves, with the family," Paul Pogba said. "It's a blood bond. There was a scar, of course. We're moving forward. Only time can give us answers." "All we want is to always be united as a family. That's the most important thing. It's hard. Of course it's very hard, I'm not going to lie. I was hurt. It's not the same as before, but we're in touch," he added. Paul Pogba was held at gunpoint in 2022 by two hooded men who demanded money. He said on Sunday that he was initially willing to pay but "afterwards, I cracked," he said, deciding "to speak out, even if it meant dying" and refusing "to throw away my money like that". He said the ban and the court case had changed him "I learned a lot during this period," Pogba said. "I did a lot of cleaning around myself too. I am also much closer to my family, my children." - AFP
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Football: Vamos Ramos!
SERGIO Ramos leaped in the air and soared back in time. The 39-year-old centreback slipped through the penalty area, outfoxed two Inter Milan players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey in the Club World Cup. Just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain's national team, Ramos combined smarts, timing and physicality to make an enormous play on an international stage. Ramos' clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey's impressive 1-1 draw against the Champions League finalists in the clubs' first match of the tournament. Monterrey's Sergio Ramos heads the ball to score in the 1-1 draw against Inter Milan. — Reuters 'There is always a joy to contribute to the team by scoring,' Ramos said through an interpreter. 'But if we can get points, that's even better. We played very well as a team. Of course, football showcases the goal, but we're here to share this experience.' Still, the moment was exactly what Ramos had in mind four months ago when he eschewed the comfortable life at a Saudi club or the lure of Major League Soccer to continue his professional career in Liga MX with Monterrey – a proud and relatively wealthy club, but hardly the Mexican equivalent of Real Madrid or Paris St Germain. When he returned to the sport from a nine-month break, Ramos chose Rayados in part because they had already qualified for the Club World Cup, and he wanted to play with the world watching. FIFA have been similarly eager to showcase the world's most famous players in this tournament, whether it's by quickly including Lionel Messi's Inter Miami on curious grounds, or by creating a special transfer window in an unsuccessful attempt to encourage a CWC club to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. Ramos made it happen for himself – and then one of the greatest centrebacks in football history delivered in Monterrey's first match, complete with an appropriately flashy celebration with his thrilled teammates and their ecstatic fans. While he showed his usual defensive prowess for much of the match against Inter, Ramos also has been a regular contributor in attack since signing with Monterrey, which has already made him their captain and a fan favourite. Monterrey qualified for the Club World Cup way back in 2021 by winning the Concacaf Champions League. At that time, Ramos was at PSG, only a few months removed from the end of his 16-year career at Real Madrid. 'He comes from football that we all know, and he has a lot of information that he can share with his teammates,' new Monterrey coach Domènec Torrent said after his debut. 'This is always something that's very helpful. His character, his personality, he's a leader every day. 'The players, he expects much of them, but that's (good) because I have a leader on the pitch every day who knows what we expect.' Torrent said his job is much easier because he can rely on Ramos at the back and his former Real Madrid teammate, Sergio Canales, in the offensive attack to keep their teammates organised and working hard. Not everything was perfect in Pasadena: Ramos shared some responsibility for Lautaro Martínez's tying goal late in the first half, although it came after an exceptional bit of ball movement that would have been difficult for any team in the world to stop. Ramos then pushed through fatigue in the second half to keep the match tied, delivering a key result to Monterrey's hopes of reaching the knockout stage. He was named the man of the match. 'We had a very good second half especially,' Ramos said. 'We faced a very tough opponent, so that's very gratifying. The result speaks volumes.' — AP
