Juventus Vs Al-Ain, When Randal Kolo Muani Shines Again

WASHINGTON DC, THURSDAY — Randal Kolo Muani initially shone brightly when he first arrived at Juventus last January. However, that brilliance dimmed and only returned towards the end of the 2024-2025 season. Now, the forward has become the main actor in creating a brilliant start for Juventus in the 2025 Club World Cup.

Kolo Muani contributed two goals (11th minute, 45+4’) to Juventus' convincing victory over the United Arab Emirates representative, Al-Ain, with a score of 5-0, at Audi Field, Washington DC, United States, on Thursday (19/6/2025) morning WIB. Three other goals were scored by Francisco Conceicao (21’, 58’) and Kenan Yildiz (31’).

Thanks to his contribution, Kolo Muani was named the best player in Juventus' first match in Group G. "I am very happy to win the match. As a team, we played great," Kolo Muani said after the match to FIFA.

"I finished the season well before. And now we also start it well," he said again.

For Kolo Muani, the brace against Al-Ain was his third goal in a month. It also marked a return to form for the Paris Saint-Germain loanee that began last month.

Kolo Muani contributed one goal in the 3-2 victory over Venezia in the final match of the 2024-2025 Serie A season, which determined Juventus's fate in the Champions League. The 26-year-old forward scored a total of two goals in May.

Although minimal, this is better than April, which saw only one goal and two months without any goals at all. In fact, Kolo Muani has made an immediate positive impression by scoring five goals in his first three matches with Juventus.

That impressive performance has allowed Kolo Muani to create a new history in the Italian League. The French striker has become the first player to score five goals in three consecutive debut matches in Italy's top-tier competition since the three-point format was introduced three decades ago, specifically in the 1994-1995 season.

Kolo Muani is also the first player at Juve to score in the first three matches since Roberto Baggio. Baggio achieved this record in the 1990-1991 season after transferring from Fiorentina.

In the match against Al-Ain, which is notably the finalist of the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup and the champion of the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League, Kolo Muani was able to showcase his best performance once again. Two goals from Kolo Muani, along with one goal each from Conceicao and Yildiz, allowed Juventus to score four goals in the first half of the match.

According to Opta, the last time "The Great Lady" did something similar was seven years ago, specifically in February 2018. At that time, Juventus won 7-0 against Sassuolo in the Italian League.

Before scoring the first goal against Al-Ain, Kolo Muani perfectly read the direction of the cross from Alberto Costa on the right side of Juve's attack. He met the ball at full speed and headed it into the top corner of the goal.

The second goal was even more beautiful. After a long pass from the back by Khephren Thuram, Kolo Muani needed only two touches to execute a fine finish by striking the ball with the outside of his foot.

With the victory over Al-Ain, Juventus leads Group A with 3 points, ahead on goal difference from the second place team that won 2-0 against Wydad AC. Juve and Manchester City are the strongest candidates to advance to the round of 16. Meanwhile, Al-Ain occupies the fourth position.

The success of achieving the first victory in the 2025 Club World Cup also marks a good start for Juventus coach, Igor Tudor. This tournament serves as his first competitive event after being officially appointed as the permanent coach of Juve until 2027.

"We started very well. In the second half, I still said to slow down a bit because of the hot weather, to perhaps try to manage the game better. We can play better than this, but yes, this is an important result because this team has a lot of quality," said Igor Tudor.

The coach of Al-Ain stated that Juve demonstrated that they are two or three levels above his team. However, he also highlighted the mistakes made by his players that ultimately led to goals for the opponents.

One clear mistake, particularly from the defense sector, was when Francisco Conceicao was allowed to dribble the ball inside the penalty area. Conceicao then found an angle to shoot and released his shot. The ball curved upward and passed over goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

"We conceded several goals due to mistakes we made, but they demonstrated their quality. So congratulations once again," said Ivic.