Thembinkosi Lorch’s CWC displays, goal against Juve, set tongues wagging

Thembinkosi Lorch's performances at the 2025 Fifa Club World Cup have set tongues wagging in South Africa, the midfielder’s bright displays for Wydad Athletic culminating in a lovely goal in their 4-1 defeat against Juventus on Sunday.

The former Bafana Bafana, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns star was Wydad’s liveliest creative presence, showing quality touches and troubling defenders, in the Moroccan club’s opening 2-0 defeat against the club Lorch supports, Manchester City.

Against Juve, also at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Field, Lorch was again on form and in the 25th minute made an excellently-timed run to take the pass of Nordin Amrabat, run through and sublimely chip goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio for a 25th-minute equaliser.

While Wydad lost comfortably again, Lorch’s performances have many in South Africa wondering if Bafana coach Hugo Broos might consider a recall for the 31-year-old winger, who has been putting his career back together since being signed to Wydad by former coach Rulani Mokwena.

“We face the best teams in the world and we learn. There is a good team spirit,” Lorch told Fifa.com after Sunday’s defeat.

“We've learnt a lot of things. We don't dwell on the defeat, but on all the experience gained. I thank the fans, they give everything for us.”

Lorch’s career had gone somewhat off the boil in South Africa. He left Pirates under the cloud of a recent criminal conviction in November 2021, sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, though that was suspended for five years.

Lorch joined Sundowns under Mokwena in January 2024 and was initially fielded but played less after the coach’s departure in late June of that year. He was loaned to reunite with Mokwena at Wydad in January this year.

Before the Club World Cup, Lorch told Fifa.com he was looking forward to pitting his skills against giants at the tournament.

“It's exciting. Man City and Juve are big teams,” he said in May. “I support Man City so it would be nice for me to play against them to see how they play and learn from them because they play on the big stage.”

Lorch did not just start against City, but turned on the skills and let them know who he is, then did the same against Juve.

Wydad are out of the competition but will look to leave the US with a victory when they meet the UAE's Al Ain in their final Group G game at Audi Field in Washington DC on Thursday (9pm SA time).