Summary: Granada falls behind 3-0 after 55 minutes. The attacking prowess of Zarate, Dybala and Icardi was unstoppable. They fought back to score the first two goals against Donnarumma and Real Madrid this season, including preseason. But, wasn't nearly enough to challenge the two-time defending league champions.

Rating: N/A - Subbed on in the 76th minute for goal-scorer Zarate. Didn't do anything too notable. Meanwhile, Vinicius Junior was subbed on six minutes later and managed to score a goal. When you get a chance, you have to capitalize.

Player of Game: Mauro Icardi, Real Madrid (9.0)

- Each member gets 10.0 points to spread however they like over the 36 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Only stats that aren't locked can be upgraded.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 1.0.
- Stats are bumped up in FM when they hit that number, ex. 2.9 = 2 in-game, and 13.4 = 13 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 20. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery and is different from the cycling progression scale.
-Comment below to provide stat upgrades.

Summary: After wet and windy day, we approach the final climb of Bordako Tontorra with 10kms remaining. There 48 cyclists left in the peloton with a plethora of strong climbers and three solid punchy sprinters in Vos, Matthews and Diamond.


Kudus goes first! Followed by Gaudu, Bernal, Power, Shirshov and others.


Not today. Mathieu van der Poel drags everybody back right at the summit for his main man Diamond. A heroic effort from the Dutchman!


That leaves 22 riders for the bunch sprint.


Under the banner, Matthews is all the way in the back and Vos looks pinned to the inside boards. Diamond looks great, waiting on the third wheel of Bernal. But the rain from this morning has returned!


Formolo of T-Mobile leads out the sprint.


Bernal holds off a charging Diamond to add a second Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian victory to his palmares. He previously won the race in 2021.

Result: 2nd - Ten, maybe 15 more meters and I think I get around Bernal for the win. The location of the finish line really caught Matthews and Vos off guard. I'll happily take this result, with massive credit to MvdP, and move up the World Cup rankings.

Crunch the numbers... I'm now leading the World Cup standings with 111 points! Ahead of Lorena Wiebes (108) and Gianni Moscon (99).

Summary: The last time to truly attack is with 10kms to go and three paved sectors left. It's Spengler kicking off the move with favourite Diamond on his wheel. Others in the remaining 46-cyclist peloton are trying to follow behind.


Six riders create a gap, before Six (yes, that's his name) shows his cards. Diamond is in quick pursuit of the Belgian. 6.2kms to go!


Diamond goes past Six but is rejoined by Spengler at the front.


Everyone wants Diamond to put in the work, but he refuses. The front group swells to 12... 15... 20... 22 riders. Yet, Diamond is content to settle this in a bunch sprint.


Bad decision. Gosling proves to be the fastest!

Result: 8th - The challenges of the being the guy everyone wants to beat: the gang up on you. Felt like 1 vs. 20 there once my teammates were gassed. Hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps I should have attacked again instead of waiting for the sprint.

Summary: Only the strong sprinters at the front today. Mexican Jose Alfredo Rodriguez takes the cake for McLaren - Bahrain.

Result: 7th - Was in the running, just not quick enough.

Summary: Attacks everywhere as we go up the final climb and under the 5km to go banner. It's Vliegen followed by Teunissen, Mohoric, Diamond, Van Aert and Kwiatkowski.


This move is actually going to stick! Teunissen around Vliegen for the lead. Kwiatkowski is has been thrown off the back.


Teunissen leading with 500 meters left! Diamond lurking with Van Aert looking to sneak up the barrier and Mohoric coming on the other side.


Against the odds, Teunissen hangs on for the win!

Result: 4th - Right there, but not quite fast enough.

Summary: Learning from past mistakes made at the KOGA Slag om Norg, heavy favourite Marcus Diamond is attacking the remaining peloton with 5.5kms to go on the last cobbled sector. Going solo is the move.


It pays off! Diamond strikes gold with a clever one-man rampage!

Result: 1st - Never a better feeling than raising both arms to the sky. My adrenaline was high all day after hearing I was going to Real Madrid. Turned that rush into career win No. 24.

- Each member gets 4.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 55.0.
- Stats are bumped up in PCM when they hit that number, ex. 55.9 = 55 in-game, and 61.4 = 61 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 85. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery.
- Comment below to provide stat upgrades

Summary: Nigeria out plays Burkina Faso but it takes a lucky own goal to collect the crucial three points. Not only does Nigeria pull a rabbit out of the hat in this contest, but Cameron collapses in the DR Congo with a 3-0 loss after going down to 10 men. Nigeria controls its destiny once again.

Rating: 6.7 - Not sure striker is my ideal position, but I'll play anywhere if it helps the team win. Take the points and move on!

Player of Game: Ayo Okoro, Nigeria (8.1)

Summary: Nigeria scores first in the 28th minute when a corner kick is headed down by Marcus Diamond into the path of John Hamzat for a powerful finish, 1-0. The equalizer trickles in off Firmin Mubele with 10 minutes to left play.

Tired legs are unable to find a game-winner. Cameroon tops Burkina Faso, 2-0, to regain the top spot in the group with two games remaining.

Rating: 7.5 - Draw sucks but not the end of the world. Beat Burkina Faso in October and finish up with a win over Cameroon in November and we return to the World Cup in 2026. Tough, but doable.

Player of Game: John Hamzat, Nigeria (7.5)

Summary: Walk in the park.

Rating: 6.6 - Yet to make a significant impact.

Player of Game: Paulo Dybala, Real Madrid (9.5)

Summary: Double brace by Glenn de Haan nets Liverpool a laugher against mighty Madrid. A shocker to open Champions League group play.

Rating: 6.4 - The pressure ate me alive. Multiple passes intercepted and I scoffed a wide-open shot right at Liverpool goalkeeper George Vince that would have tied the game at 2-2 and change the whole complex of the contest. Self doubts are starting to creep in... Do I belong here?

I was rightfully not even on the bench for Match Day #4 at Malaga. Real Madrid tied 1-1, losing its unblemished record and top spot on the La Liga table to archrival FC Barcelona.

Player of Game: Glenn de Haan, Liverpool (9.9)

Summary: A scoreless first half was quickly forgotten when newly signed German winger Tom Morosow (bought for 43 million from Girondis de Bordeaux) headed home the game-winning goal in his Madrid debut.

Villarreal's fate was sealed when Unai Lopez earned a red card in the 79th minute. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma notched his second La Liga shutout this season, making zero saves as Villarreal failed to get a shot on target.

Rating: 7.0 - A step in the right direction.

Player of Game: Jose Luis Gomez, Real Madrid (7.9)

Summary: Two first-half goals by Dybala were enough, but Madrid added two more in the second half for good measure. Marcus Diamond scored his first goal for the club after some brilliant build-up play.


Rating: 7.8 - Feels great to finally get on the scorer's sheet. A team goal for sure. After a rough start to the month, I finally feel like I'm getting my footing on the field and somewhat in the locker room.

I did miss the last game of the month three days later due to racing the cycling World RR Championships. Shame it was Champions League Group Stage #2 match, then again, I don't know if coach would have trusted me enough to play me anyways. Regardless, Real Madrid had no troubles smashing PAOK Saloniki, 5-0.

Player of Game: Paulo Dybala, Real Madrid (9.1)

- Each member gets 10.0 points to spread however they like over the 36 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Only stats that aren't locked can be upgraded.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 1.0.
- Stats are bumped up in FM when they hit that number, ex. 2.9 = 2 in-game, and 13.4 = 13 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 20. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery and is different from the cycling progression scale.
-Comment below to provide stat upgrades.
- Fountain of Youth: Once the target number between 25-250 is reached, a stat unlock will be rewarded.

Summary: Welcome to Valkenburg, Netherlands, for the 98th edition of the World RR Championships! It's foggy, gloomy, windy day as the flag drops. Add in the rolling hills and the next 256kms are going to be brutal.

A race worthy of crowning a World Champion!


The morning breakaway settles with seven riders. They are:

Alexandr Khvostunov (UnitedHealthCare) is in his second full season and is still searching for his breakthrough moment. The 24-year-old has yet to place inside the Top 10 of any pro race. His best result came as a neo-pro with a 14th place at the U23 Ronde Van Vlaanderen.

Garikoitz Bravo (ISS) is at the other end of the spectrum. The 36-year-old veteran wants one more memorable win before hanging up his wheels. Bravo doesn't have too many wins under his belt, but did surprisingly win the Spanish RR Championship three years ago.

Niccolo Bonifazio (Saeco) is more of a sprinter by trade, winning a stage in both the 2019 TDF and 2020 Giro d'Italia, but will test his luck in the breakaway today. The 31-year-old is coming out of the prime of his career, but that hasn't slowed him down with three wins and nine podiums this season.

Rick Zabel (Team Sunweb) is attempting to do what his dad, Erik, never managed to do: win a rainbow jersey. Erik Zabel finished runner-up at the 2004 and 2006 World Championships with another podium finish in 2002. Zabel is surely the favourite to win if the BOTD survives.

Harry Tanfield (SEG) is a flat beast, who hasn't exactly had the best first season with his new team. The 30-year-old brit is winless since his GB national championship victory back in 2022. With that said, Tanfield might not even be racing for himself and could just be here to help GB and SEG teammate Marcus Diamond later in the race.

Vincent Beeckman (TAP Portugal) is having the best season of his career. The 27-year-old sprinter has racked eight stage wins -- three at the Santos Tour Down Under, three at the Abu Dhabi Tour and two more at Tirreno-Adriatico. Will be Zabel's main rival if this group stays away.

Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) will call himself a sprinter as well, but the 35-year-old is starting to move past that stage of his career. After winning two sprint stages at the 2024 TDF, Bouhanni crashed out of this year's edition and is slowly making his return. Many thought he would just retire, yet here he is.

Sadly, for the Dutch, no Netherland riders up front this evening.


Down to 100kms to go. The breakaway leads up 3'17" and haven't been given more than a 5-minute advantage. Slovakia, Australia, Austria and Norway have been doing most of the chasing.

Rain continues to fall as the roads get slicker. A few minor crashes and punctures have already occurred, but nothing too serious. And, as I report this, the rain has finally subsided. Will it stay away for good?


No. The rain is coming down hard again with 50kms remaining. The breakaway, which has dropped Khvostunov for good, is still hovering around two minutes ahead.


The breakaway is getting restless. Bonifazio and Zabel attack away with 37kms to go. Surely this won't stick.


It doesn't. But Zabel goes again! The peloton is slowly, but surely approaching. It's only a matter of time. 29kms left.


Zabel is the last man standing, but it's all over now with 19kms left. He is caught on the penultimate ascent of what should be the deciding climb in a few minutes time.


And here we are! The Colombian duo of Chaves and Restrepo lead us onto the final climb! Only 2.7kms left to decide a champion.


Attack! Diamond is pushing the pedals, but can't seem to open a gap. Huge effort wasted here if he can't get some daylight...


Diamond under the banner, but 15 other cyclists have marked his move. Not looking great for the aggressive Brit. Directly on his wheel are:

Novak
Matthews
Eiking
Muhlberger

Further back are:

Moscon
Majka
Stussi
Kacian
MacLean
Curley
Van der Poel
Felline
Higuita
S. Yates

Diamond led under the banner at the 2023 World Championships and finished fourth. Will it be any different today?


It looks like a repeat of two years ago. Matthews out of Diamond's slipstream and sets his sights on another world crown.


Not so fast Matthews, we have a four-way drag race to the finish line! Contesting the Aussie are Novak, Eiking and Muhlberger.


Odd Christian Eiking is your 2025 World RR Champion! It's Norway's first World RR Champion since Thor "The God of Thunder" Hushovd won the 2010 edition in Geelong. It's a career-defining victory for the 30-year-old racing for AG2R.

Following the aftermath of Peter Sagan going back-to-back-to-back from 2015 to 2017, we have had seven different winners from six different countries to claim the rainbow jersey. Parody at its finest.

Result: 5th - Again, right on the cusp. It was an attack I had to make, because there was no way I was going to be fast enough to win a bunch sprint. Add another Top 5 to the palmares. Try again next year.

- Each member gets 4.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 55.0.
- Stats are bumped up in PCM when they hit that number, ex. 55.9 = 55 in-game, and 61.4 = 61 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 85. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery.
- Comment below to provide stat upgrades
- Unlock Progress Points: Once the target number between 25-250 is reached, a stat unlock will be rewarded.

First game of the season jitters haunted both sides. Asheville at least managed 68 yards of offense with inexperience QB Diamond Jr. at the helm with a heavy dose of check-down passes to RB Howell.

The Mountaineers' offense went backwards, netting -2 yards in the first quarter with their first seven pass attempts falling incomplete. Both offenses combined for 0-for-7 on third down. No wonder the score remained scoreless, 0-0.


The first scoring opportunity of the contest goes to Asheville's offense when they settle for a 32yd field goal after stalling out in the red zone. Sophomore K Harvey boots it through the uprights to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead with 4:29 left in the first half.

After a quick three-and-out for the Mountaineers, Asheville raced down the field with a 31yd option keeper by Diamond Jr. Three plays later, the Cougars completed the first third down attempt of the game on a 33yd TD pass from Diamond Jr. to WR Nguyen. The first high school touchdown for both players!


Asheville happily went to the locker room up 10-0.


Both squads had long-ish, sustained drives in the third quarter. Asheville's ended on a 4th down & 8 when Diamond Jr. saw a wide-open receiver streaking down the sideline but was hit right as he released the ball. The pass fell incomplete.

Kings Mountain showed some life on the ensuing drive, but had a pass dropped on fourth down that would have put them inside the red zone.

So, the score stayed 10-0 Asheville going to the fourth quarter.


The Mountaineers opened the final frame with a pair of passes completed by QB Ingram -- 26yd to WR Washington and 19yds to WR Wilson. But, on the cusp of making it a one-score game, Ingram was intercepted by CB Dickson.

Asheville took over on its own 29yd line. The Cougars went back down the field. Facing a 4th down & 6 on the Mountaineers' 20yd line. Asheville head coach Greg Nelson decided to forgo a 30yd FG attempt for a chance to make it a three-score game at 17-0.

Diamond Jr. connected with WR Ostrander for 11yds. But, the offense failed to score on the next three plays, and coach Nelson decided now was the time to kick that FG. K Harvey made it with ease. 13-0 Cougars with three minutes remaining.

With a sense of urgency, the Mountaineers put together a TD drive in one minute and three seconds. QB Ingram hit WR Washington for a 13yd score to get Kings Mountain on the board, 13-7.

Asheville effectively chewed up a chunk of the clock and forced Kings Mountain to burn all three of its timeouts. Yet, the Mountaineers' defense forced Asheville to punt the ball back with 27 seconds remaining.

Ball on their own 30yd line, Kings Mountain need a TD for the win.

First play: Incomplete pass. 22 seconds left.
Second play: 8yd screen pass. Clocking running.
Third play: Ball spiked. 9 seconds left.
Fourth play: Out route pass, caught, first down.

But WR Wilson doesn't get out of bounds. Clock stops momentarily to reset the first-down chains. QB Ingram then takes the snap and throws the ball to the ground. Spiked. Everyone looks at the clock...

One second left. One play left.

Ball on the Mountaineers' 48yd line. Ingram takes the snap, rolls out to his right. He is under heavy pressure. Can't wait any longer. There it goes, ball in the air.


The Hail Mary only reaches Asheville's 20yd line. It is batted in the air multiple times, but eventually... drops incomplete. Game over.

Cougars win!



MDJ Game Stats: 23/30 for 228yds passing, 1 TD; 19yds rushing - Kings Mountain gave us everything they had. Great battle. Very sloppy at times, but too be expected being the first game of the season. I surprisingly had more success passing the ball, but most of passes were check downs to RB Howell, who finished with 14 catches for 80yds. My touchdown pass was my longest pass of the game!

Got to be more efficient to put more points on the scoreboard. Can't expect our defense to hold every opponent under seven points. The credit for this win belongs to those guys.

Player of Game: DT Launchbaugh (11 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 sacks)