Eight takeaways from the FIFA Club World Cup group stage

New York, June 28 -- The group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup brought drama, late goals, surprise results and standout individual performances.

Some of the tournament favorites advanced with ease while others stumbled early and never recovered. A handful of emerging talents made their mark and attendances fluctuated from sellouts to near-empty stands.

Here are eight key takeaways from the opening phase.

Best players Arguably the player to have made the biggest impact so far is Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz. The 20-year-old Turkiye international is the competition's joint top scorer with three goals and has also registered two assists. He provided one of the few positives for Juventus in its 5-2 loss to Manchester City, coming off ...