Summary: Liberia struck first in the 7th minute on a far-post finish by Sylvanus Nimely. It was the sixth goal in his 47th career cap for the Russian League striker. Nigeria's Victor Osimhen hit the crossbar trying to equalize a minute later.

Ten minutes later, Nigeria found the answer. A perfect through ball by Marcus Diamond unleashed Henry Onyekuru for an easy finish. 1-1. Then, a corner kick right before halftime bounced around in the box before Osimhen collected the ball and smashed in Nigeria's go-ahead goal. The assist went to John Hamzat.

Hamzat played 60 minutes before getting subbed out for Moses Simon.

Nigeria rallied around their captain's departing words, "Keep the pressure on." Crisp passing by Diamond to Onyekuru to Osimhen set up third goal -- the second for Osimhen -- in the 70th minute.

Adding insult to injury, Liberia put the ball in their own net in the 76th minute. It looked so bad, some FIFA officials were concerned about match-fixing. But those concerns were rectified when Nimely scored his second goal in the 83rd minute to make the score 4-2 Nigeria.

Nigeria could have passed the ball around the back and coasted to a two-goal victory, but somebody had some unfinished business to attend to...


From 22+ yards out, Diamond unleashed a screamer. When it hit the back of the net you could hear his scream over the hushed Liberia supporters. A dramatic goal in Diamond's return to the national team. His first Nigeria goal since June 4, 2025.

Nimely tried to one-up Diamond's moment with his hat-trick goal in the 88th minute. But it was too little, too late. Nigeria held on for a thrilling 5-3 victory. Wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was exciting!

Rating: 9.1 - I'm back.

Player of Game: Sylvanus Nimely, Liberia (9.5)

Summary: Lulled to sleep by uneventful football, Tunisia was able to sneak behind Nigeria's backline and broke the deadlock on a goal by Bernard Bulbwa in the 39th minute. Tarek Felhi added another three minutes later, 2-0.

Nigeria's nightmare continued into the second half when Felhi's headed home his second goal in the 62nd minute.

Victor Osimhen pulled one goal back in the 77th minute. But, that's all the fight Nigeria could muster in front of their home crowd. Disappointing to say the least.

Rating: 7.1 - The team switched off after giving up those two goals before halftime. Did what I could, but its hard for one man to carry the team. Eventually my legs gave way and I had to be subbed off in the 64th minute.

Player of Game: Tarek Felhi, Tunisia (8.8)

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Summary: Long day in the saddle ahead. Seven brave cyclists get away in the early kilometers, and here they are with a 4-minute gap going over the Passo del Turchino.

Deigo Ulissi (Novo Nordisk)
Eli Iserbyt (Lotto Soudal)
Aaron Verwilst (Lotto Soudal)
Fabio Silvestre (TAP Portugal)
Kenny Willems (Veranda's Willems)
Dennis Bakker (AEGON)
Noel Lakatos (Meridiana Kamen)


The break, however, stood no chance today. The peloton sweeps them all up with 31.5kms to go and the penultimate climb up La Cipressa in the distance, 3.2kms away.


No one is bold enough to make a move on the La Cipressa, leaving the Poggio di Sanremo climb to possibly separate the 126-rider peloton.


And here we go! Fireworks at the base of the climb started by Van Baarle and followed by Ganna and Diamond.


But only Diamond has the strength to forge a gap on the peloton.


Local legend Moscon just manages to bridge the gap before the descent. Coquard and Haig weren't as lucky and need to bomb the downhill to have any chance to join the leading duo.


Our two leaders have reached the bottom, the officials are saying the gap is roughly 30 seconds with Coquard and Haig re-joining the peloton.

Moscon and Diamond have 2.2kms to hold on...


Former 2020 Italy National Champion, Gianni Moscon, is leading out current Great Britain Champion, Marcus Diamond, to the line to cap a thrilling first monument of the season!

Moscon has to be having flashbacks to last year's race where we has in a similar situation and lost a head-to-head sprint to finish runner-up to Loic Vliegen. Surely that can't happen twice to the home favourite?


Oh! It could! It absolutely could go wrong again for Moscon! Diamond waited and waited and now kicks with 500 meters to the line!

Maybe he went too soon? Not a chance. This is well calculated.



Make room Tom Simpson and Mark Cavendish, Marcus Diamond has become the third British rider ever to claim a Pro Tour monument victory!


Result: 1st - The team plans were simple today. I attack Poggio di Sanremo and Tebiro Pienaar waited in the peloton for a possible sprint finish. It worked brilliantly. I'm a monument winner... That's crazy. When I saw that Moscon jumped across the gap, I left it up to him. Either drag me to the line or get caught, because I had no reason to push the pace with Pienaar (who finished 8th) waiting for his opportunity. Moscon took the bait and I took the win — a career-defining win for my legacy.

Summary: Only five cyclists survived to sprint for the classic victory. Last month's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner, Mike Teunissen, added another cobbled conquest to his palmares. Beating out Tiesj Benoot, Nils Politt, Maikel Zijlaard and Holstad Ludvik.


Recent Milano - Sanremo winner Marcus Diamond won the sprint from the chase group, but couldn't quite pass Lorena Wiebes who got dropped from the leader's group with 5kms to go.

Result: 7th (+1'44") - The front group slipped away from me when they made their decisive attack on a cobbled climb right as the morning breakaway and a few other late attackers were brought back. I always seem to get caught up in the chaos caused by cobblestones.

- Each member gets 5.0 points to spread however they like over the 13 attributes listed above. One post per member.
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- 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.
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A defensive stalemate in the opening frame ended 0-0. Asheville's defense shut down both of North Buncombe's possession with three-and-outs. Whereas the Cougars had a little more success moving the ball.

QB Diamond Jr. was a little errant throwing the ball: 4-for-8. But the star gunslinger still had Asheville in the red zone looking to score the first points as the first quarter came to a close.


After two straight plays went backward, the Cougars had to settle for just three points on a 29yd FG by K Harvey instead of punching in the opening TD. Costly points left on the table.

Following another Black Hawks' punt, Asheville marched back down the field. QB MDJ completed all 5 of his passes on a 8-play, 82-yard TD drive. WR Sarria caught the score, which was threaded between two defenders.


Asheville maintained its 10-0 lead going to halftime.


Field position was key in helping North Buncombe break its goose egg late into the third quarter. The Black Hawks forced the Cougars to punt from its own end zone, before ending up there three plays later on a 5yd run and a pair of passes from 24yds and 12yds. QB Hurd found WR Robinson on the TD connection.

Just like that, it was a one-score game again, 10-7.

Less than two minutes later, following a quick three-and-out by Asheville, the game was tied at 10-10 going into the fourth quarter on 43yd FG by North Buncombe K Savoy.


Asheville picked up one first down but then punted the ball back. North Buncombe wasn't any better, going three-and-out. The Cougars then did the same. Both defenses were coming up huge. Stop after stop.

Unsurprising, the Black Hawks punted the ball back once again. Asheville took over on its own 16yd line with 2:25 remaining in regulation.

QB MDJ was dragged down for a two-yard loss on an unsuccessful option play. Incomplete pass. Incomplete pass. And another punt.

Great field position for the Black Hawks once again.

QB Hurd stretches the field with a 26yd completion to WR Snyder. Picks up 6 more yards on a pass to RB Goode. QB Hurd is sacked for a 2yd loss on second down, and WR Robinson drops what would have been a first down on third down.

That sets up a 44yd FG for K Savoy to take the lead with 1:16 left.


IT'S GOOD! The Black Hawks have the lead 13-10!

Last chance for Asheville...

1:06 -- QB MDJ hits WR Sarria over the middle. Easily could have been intercepted as the ball slipped through the defender's hands. It's 18yd gain and Asheville head coach Greg Nelson quickly calls a timeout.

1:00 -- Looking down field, QB MDJ sees no options and decides to dump the ball off to his RB Howell, who makes the 2yd catch despite being double covered. Nelson is left no choice but to call another timeout. Only one left now.

0:56 -- Nobody open... Nobody open. QB MDJ is looking and looking. Nothing. Now it's time to scramble. He breaks one tackle, but is eventually pulled down for a 3yd sack. Nelson decides not to use his last timeout with the Cougars facing 3rd-and-11 on its own 45yd line.

0:30 -- Scrambling back to the line of scrimmage, QB MDJ is barking out orders and trying to change the play on the run. Snap. Diamond is going deep! He has a man! ... No, it gets knocked out of the air at the last possible moment.

0:24 -- Comes down to this. 4th-and-11. Asheville needs a first down to stay alive. The Cougars line up with four WRs. QB MDJ takes the snap... Each receiver starts sprinting down the field, except WR Sarria who cuts to the middle of the field. Under pressure, Diamond passes to the only receiver he had his eyes on: Sarria.

Sarria makes the catch and lunges forward while being tackled by three defenders. The home crowd roars. Time slows down.


The Black Hawk defenders emerged with their fists in the air. WR Sarria peers over to the sideline, he is a foot short of the first-down marker.

It's over.

Turnover on downs. North Buncombe's defense pulled through yet again.

The Black Hawks kneel out the final seconds and hand the Cougars their second loss of the season, 13-10, and improves their own playoff hopes in the process. What a game!



MDJ Game Stats: 17/28 passing for 164yds, 1 TD; -20yds rushing on 9 carries - This hurts. I feel like I let myself down, the team down, the community. My lack of accuracy cost us the game. As much as I don't want to admit it, not having my gloves played a factor -- probably more mentally than physically. At least all is not lost. All we have to do to make the playoffs is beat the one-win Enka Jets at home next week.

Player of Game: DE Jenkins (2.5 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 11 tackles)

- Each member gets 5.0 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: The rain has been relentless and now with 60kms remaining, four of the best cobblers don't like the tempo being set in the 83-cyclist peloton: Peterik, Jansen, Van Aert and Lawless.

A morning breakaway of 8 riders is two minutes up the road.


It was too early for a move like to stick, but this one might. Here goes former World Champion and two-time Paris - Roubaix winner Benoot with 28kms left. The last of the breakaway riders have just been caught, so Benoot is the new leader on the road.


Not cleaver enough from Benoot. He is pulled back by the reduced peloton of just 17 riders with 23.5kms to go. Two cobbled climbs remain.


The longer of the two was Oude-Kwaremont at 2.4kms. It's ridden hard, but no attacks. The front group has been cut down to 12 riders. But three more get back before we reach the climb of Paterberg with 15kms left.


A gap has been pried open. Diamond and Zijlaard just miss the crucial split to the front six:

Van Aert
Benoot
Ludvik
Mobach
Teunissen
Kron


Too tired to even celebrate. But he deserves all the praise. It's defending 2025 winner Teunissen who slips away for the solo win! His third monument win at 33 years old. Can't underestimate experience.

Result: 10th (+1'00") - Played everything perfectly until the last climb. Just couldn't hold onto the wheels over the summit. If I had, good chance I finish on the podium. A Top 10 here is nothing to scoff at, but I think I could have done better.

Summary: You couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. No wind, no rain, all sunshine for the 123rd edition of Paris - Roubaix. Certainly not living up to its nickname of "Hell of the North" just yet as the peloton reaches the first cobbled sector. A breakaway of nine is a little under three minutes up the road.


Our cameras just couldn't keep up with all the craziness through the first 160kms. The 72-rider peloton enters the famous Trouee d'Arenberg sector having survived multiple crashes (most notable forcing favourite Ludvig to abandon) and punctures (which notable slowed down another favourite, Wisniowski). Heck, even the morning breakaway had its own crash, hindering its slim chances to survive today.


Oh no, it's a bad time to puncture for one of the top favourites Kron. The dwindling peloton is down to 26 riders and fast approaching the remnants of the breakaway with 70.5kms to go. Kron has to hope the leaders slow down once the catch is made.


Only 14 remain with 48kms and 10 cobbled sectors left. Kron is two chase groups back at around a minute behind.


The cobbles ruin another favourites day. Mobach suffers a puncture and the front group is down to 13 riders. And shortly after Van Rooy can't keep up and gets dropped to make it only a dozen with 43kms remaining.

But the leaders slow up a bit and allow both to rejoin.


The penultimate cobbled sector has broke Diamond and Peterik with 17kms to go.


A nine-way bunch sprint on the velodrome needs a photo finish to crown a new champion. After a closer look, Teunissen outlasts home favourites Lampaert and Van Aert to claim back-to-back monument wins!

Result: 12th (+5'03") - I got a front-row seat to watch the chaotic sprint finish, but its too bad I still had one more lap to go. I just didn't have the stamina to hang on and had a long, solo ride after that to reach the velodrome. Nonetheless, still a career-best result.

Summary: After all the action over the rolling hills, only one man remains out front on the penultimate climb with 8.7kms to go.

Wisniowski was the best from the morning breakaway, but can he hold off the 19 remaining cyclists in the chase group behind him?


Wisniowski hits the top of the climb, reworks his gears and looks back to see last year's winner Diamond making a powerful attack behind him. That's got to be a scary sight with 3kms to go.


Wisniowski caught on the final incline. This is where Diamond won it a season ago, but he has company this time around.

Sidek and Matthews are marking his back wheel closely, unwilling to let Diamond ride away on the Cauberg climb once again.


Matthews pulls up right next to Diamond. Looks like we are going to get a side-by-side drag race to the line!


Or not... The former 2023 World Champion Michael Matthews blasted out of Diamond's slipstream and never looked back. Whereas, Diamond faded hard. The GB national champion badly miscalculates his effort today by roughly 500 meters. Costing him not only the win but a Top 3.

Result: 5th - What worked last year did quite pay off today. One could blame bad daily form, but I don't like to make too any excuses. I just went too soon. Not quite the result I was looking for. The month of April continues to be a struggle of not being quite good enough.

Summary: We interrupt the commercial break to report a big crash with 71kms to go. Here is what is left of the peloton, 31 riders.

The biggest favourite missing is three-time TDF winner Bernal, who suffered a bad fall and has abandoned. Hopefully, nothing too serious to change his upcoming Grand Tour plans.


Matthews, fresh off his Amstel Gold Race win three days ago, tries to test his luck with long-range attack from 11kms out. But, Liquigas has the manpower to carry the 36-cyclist peloton back to Matthews.

As a result, the winner will be decided by a race up the Huy climb.


Kwiatkowski has the best legs today, and it's not even close.

Result: 9th (+36") - I prefer more flat finishes or, better yet, throw some cobbles in there to mix things up. Not a fan of sprinting up walls, especially after all the racing have been doing here in April.

Summary: Crash in the peloton with 62kms to go has broken up a long, boring day so far. Oh my, now we have some of the names...

Novak
Power
Sidek
Gall
Curley
Albanese

These are all race favourites who either crashed or have been slowed down and are not present near the front of the race.


The 15 cyclists up front pushed the pace for a little bit but eventually decided it was not worth it and nearly everybody came back together, except for Wellens and Matthews, who wanted something out of this small advantage and have attacked from 47kms out.

Very desperate, but stranger things have worked. A morning breakaway of three riders still remains two minutes ahead of them.


Disaster in the chase group! A high-speed crash on a descent with major favourites involved. Fingers crossed they can all continue.

Diamond
Formolo
Smith
S. Yates
Hu
Guerreiro
Alaphilippe
Van der Breggen
Albanese
Jaspers
Lopez

Just to name a few. They have 40kms to fight back before the finish.


It was bold. It was brave. It was brilliant.

The crash caused all the chaos Matthews and Wellens needed. Working together, they built a gap to big too overcome and then battled each other for a famous monument win.

Matthews celebrates an encore performance after his Amstel Gold Race triumph. Wellens settles for second. But the Rider of the Day has to belong to the man coming in now to round out the podium...


While we all watched the battle for the win, Diamond amazingly overcame a two-minute deficit to catch back up to the lead chase group after his hard fall and still had enough energy to power away from them for a third place. The sheer amount of determination, heart and guts.

Result: 3rd (+2'13") - I watched Matthews and Wellens attack and I could have easily followed them. But, I gave it a second thought and decided that would be just plain stupid. Little did I know, 5kms later I was sliding across the pavement on my back. Damn right I was angry.

My bike was destroyed, so I had to wait for the team car to arrive. They dropped off my new ride and I rode. The hardest I have ever ridden in my life. Jersey flapping in the wind. Road rash screaming at me to quit.

I blocked it all out. No excuses this time.

I deserved better. But I still had to earn it. And I did.

Summary: A surprise winner! It's the first career win for Astana's 25-year-old Joseba Martinez Enriquez. And the first Pro Tour win for an Andorra-born cyclist. Go figure it comes in a prologue of all places.

Result: 22nd (+12") - My first time wearing the normal SEG - Quick Step kit this season and not my road race national champion jersey. Felt very weird. Not just that, but wearing all the special TT equipment again.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, not my specialty. But certainly something I need to get better at if I ever want to win a Grand Tour in my career. That said, I think I held my own today.

The team is going with the three-headed dragon of myself with climbers Zuurman (10th, +9") and Hyravy (19th, +11"). They finished 5th and 7th here last year, with Hyravy getting the better of 2024 winner of this race, Zuurman.

Both have been giving me tips since it's my first time here.

Summary: Up and over both of the climbs today without anyone willing to make a bold move this early into the stage race. So bunch sprint it is.


Gaudu has other ideas and goes on a cheeky attack.


The peloton is too smart to let Gaudu ride away, so here is that bunch sprint. Paladin hits the front first with no sprint trains in sight. It's everybody for themselves.


Paladin holds on! Barely. Diamond was coming quickly up the middle, but he just ran out of road.

Result: 2nd, 8th GC (+6"), 2nd KoM, 3rd Team - Eventful day for me and the cameras only caught the end of it. Grabbed some KoM points on the last climb and some bonus seconds with the runner-up finish.

Summary: Much better organization today as we see three sprint trains emerge with 2kms to go.

On the left is McLaren-Bahrain with Mesto leading out Rodriguez. Yesterday's winner Paladin and Walsheid are following behind.

In the middle is Astana with Pibernik leading out B. Alaphilippe, followed by Diamond, Gessner, Aniolkowski and Karaliok.

Up against the barrier on the right is SRAM with Van der Breggen and Gall trying to unleash their sprinter Rivera.


Gall proves to be the strongest and even opens a bike length to Rivera. Everyone else is scrambling behind to keep up approaching the banner.


They all went way too soon! And it's Walscheid who keeps a steady effort to win the extremely long sprint over Aniolkowski and Karaliok.

Result: 6th, 8th GC (+6"), 4th KoM, 3rd Team - Wasted most of my energy just trying to find the fastest wheel to follow. Picked wrong like three times. At that point, you shake your head and coast to the line.

Summary: SEG-Quick Step have had enough of the cat-and-mouse games. They are playing their hand here with an attack by Diamond with 6kms left on the final climb. Only Buchmann follows.

Zuurman and Hyravy are waiting to see what the other teams do in the 18-cyclist chase group.


Diamond leads Buchmann and Formolo, who bridged the gap, over the top. Geoghegan Hart is doing everything he can to make the split, but will now have to make the catch on the 16km downhill.


Easy enough, and seven other cyclists do the same. Making it a group of 11 riders battling out for the stage win and to pull on the yellow jersey.


Kelderman over Formolo and Gaudu.

No time gaps awarded for the first 11 across the line. Meaning Formolo is the new race leader with Moser (+3") and Diamond (+7") not far behind in the overall standings with a flat stage and an ITT remaining.

Result: 5th, 3rd GC (+7"), 1st KoM, 1st Team - The other teams had an answer to stop our team tactics today. But, winning the last climb of the day gave me the co-KoM lead with Kyle Murphy on 20 points. I'm sitting good in the overall and we have the best team. Can't complain much. Although, a stage win would be nice.

Summary: On a day where it looked the breakaway finally had a chance, the peloton completed the catch with 800 meters to go. Rodriguez made it a fifth different winner across five stages. No time gaps awarded.

Result: 6th, 3rd GC (+7"), 2nd KoM, 1st Team - Another solid sprint. Shame to not get any more bonus seconds and lose the KoM competition to breakaway man Elias Elvira by one point on the final road stage.

Summary: One picture couldn't sum up the tour-ending ITT any better. Moser dominates the race against the clock, passing Diamond in the process. Moser wins the final stage by over 30 seconds to Geoghegan Hart to win the Tour de Romandie.

Result: 41st (+1'35"), 9th GC (+1'39"), 2nd KoM, 1st Team - If the prologue gave you any hope I'd do well here, I'm sorry. My legs are drained. Rough ending to what was a fairly good week of racing.

- Each member gets 5.0 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.
- Locked stats can't be improved.
- Unlock Progress Points: Once a target number between 25-250 is reached, a stat unlock is rewarded. Points from training rides can be used toward the Unlock Progress.
- Comment below to provide stat upgrades.