After conceding early in the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, Wydad would have been desperate to make a better start in their second group encounter.
Unfortunately for Amine Benhachem’s charges, Juventus’ Yildiz had other ideas, as he played an instrumental role in giving his team a two-goal lead inside the opening 20 minutes.
First, the Turkey international exchanged a neat one-two with Khephren Thuram, before he squeezed the ball in at the near post with the aid of a deflection.
Yildiz then produced an unstoppable strike from the edge of the box, rifling the ball into the top corner to get on the scoresheet in back-to-back matches.
To Wydad’s credit, they summoned up a positive response to their poor start, as Thembinkosi Lorch turned home to cut Juventus’ lead in half.
The 31-year-old showed great composure to calmly lift the ball over Michele Di Gregorio after being sent through on goal by Nordin Amrabat’s inch-perfect through pass.
While Juventus still carried a narrow lead into the break, they made a determined start to the second period in a bid to restore their two-goal cushion.
Andrea Cambiaso struck the woodwork after meeting a deep corner, shortly before Randal Kolo Muani flicked the ball inches wide from Lloyd Kelly’s low cross.
After seeing his teammates go close, the confident Yildiz took it upon himself to net his second and Juventus’ third in Philadelphia.
The youngster latched onto Kolo Muani’s clever pass and calmly chopped back onto his right foot to slide the ball into the far corner.
Dusan Vlahovic dispatched a stoppage-time penalty after being hauled down in the box, wrapping up a sizeable win that moves Juventus to the top of Group G, knowing they will secure a top-two spot if Al Ain fail to beat Man City.
As for Wydad, they need Al Ain to pull off a shock victory to keep their faint last-16 hopes alive.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)
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