Kenan Yildiz scores twice in Juventus’ 4-1 win in Club World Cup

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kenan Yildiz scored two goals in Juventus’ 4-1 win over Wydad in the Club World Cup on Sunday.

The victory leaves Juventus in first place in Group G.

In the sixth minute, Juventus took the lead as defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil deflected a shot attempt by Yildiz into the back of Wydad’s net.

Ten minutes later, Yildiz showed up again in front of the 31,975 fans in Lincoln Financial Field, less than half the stadium's capacity, to double Juventus’ lead with a powerful volley into the top right corner.

Wydad made it 2-1 in the 25th minute after a pass from team captain Nordin Amrabat left Thembinkosi Lorch one-on-one with Michele Di Gregorio, who wasn't able to stop Lorch's chip shot.

Following the goal, the referee paused the match after Wydad's supporters threw three flares onto the field and set off red and black smoke in the stands that affected visibility on the field. The four-minute pause also served as a hydration break for the players as temperatures in Philadelphia reached 89 degrees in the first half.

With his second goal of the game, Yildiz secured the win for Juventus in the 69th minute after an assist by Randal Kolo Muani.

In stoppage time, Dusan Vlahovic added a goal after converting a penalty kick.

Vlahovic's score in the 94th minute was key to make Juventus' goal differential better ahead of a tough match against Manchester City for the lead in Group G.

Juventus is an Al Ain loss away from being through to the round of 16 of the Club World Cup. They will play Manchester City next Thursday to try to finish atop Group G. With the loss, Wydad is eliminated from the tournament. They will face Al Ain next.

“Before the game started, I said to (Yildiz), ‘Just go and do your thing. Get on the ball, create opportunities,’ and that’s what he does. I would hate to be playing against him if I was the opposition.” — Juventus defender Lloyd Kelly.

“We got a lot of good things out of the matches. We played against really strong teams. It also is a very different game at the highest level, and we still have one more game left to win.” — Wydad defender Guilherme Ferreira.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic reacts after scoring from a penalty kick during the Club World Cup Group G soccer match between Juventus and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Wydad supporters light torches during the Club World Cup Group G soccer match between Juventus and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Juventus' Kenan Yildiz, left, and Wydad AC's Nordin Amrabat fight for the ball during the Club World Cup Group G soccer match between Juventus and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Juventus' Kenan Y?ld?z scores during the Club World Cup Group G soccer match between Juventus and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Juventus' Randal Kolo Muani lifts Kenan Yildiz after he scored second goal during the Club World Cup Group G soccer match between Juventus and Wydad AC in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An independent counsel has demanded a death sentence for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on rebellion charges in connection with his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024.

The Seoul Central District Court said independent counsel Cho Eun-suk’s team made the request at a hearing Tuesday. Yoon was expected to make remarks there.

Removed from office last April, Yoon faces criminal trials over his martial law debacle and other scandals related to his time in office. Charges that he directed a rebellion are the most significant ones.

The court is expected to deliver a verdict on Yoon in February.

Yoon has maintained that his decree was a desperate yet peaceful attempt to raise public awareness about what he considered the danger of the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which used its legislative majority to obstruct his agenda and complicate state affairs.

Yoon called the opposition-controlled parliament “a den of criminals” and “anti-state forces.” But lawmakers rushed to object to the imposition of martial law in dramatic overnight scenes, and enough of them, including even those within Yoon’s ruling party, managed to enter an assembly hall to vote down the decree.

Yoon’s decree, the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea, brought armed troops into Seoul streets to encircle the assembly and enter election offices. That evoked traumatic memories of dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed rulers used martial law and other emergency decrees to station soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles in public places to suppress pro-democracy protests.

Yoon’s decree and ensuing power vacuum plunged South Korea into political turmoil, halted the country’s high-level diplomacy and rattled its financial markets.

Yoon’s earlier vows to fight attempts to impeach and arrest him deepened the country’s political divide. In January last year, he became the country’s first sitting president to be detained.

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside of Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

FILE - Then South Korea's ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol who is facing charges of orchestrating a rebellion when he declared martial law on Dec. 3, arrives to attend his trial at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, Pool, File)