The inaugural FC Pro Open got off to a spectacular start on Monday night, as some of the world's best players locked horns in Group A.
Featuring Umut, Emre Yilmaz, H1dalgo, Lukas and Mark11, the standard was incredibly high from the outset, as all five players competed for a place in the FC Pro Open Finals.
Monday night (November 27) saw each participant play four of their eight Group A matches, with the rest to be played in January. It was therefore vital to get off to a good start and lay down an early marker heading into the Christmas break.
Round 1
The night began with a titanic clash between RBLZ Gaming's Umut and Team Gullit's Emre Yilmaz, in a clash which would have been worthy of the FC Pro Open Final.
The clash did not disappoint, as a back and forth contest ensued with each player taking the lead at different stages. In the end, a 4-4 draw was a fair reflection of how closely matched the pair were.
Both players were complimentary of each other in the immediate aftermath, with Umut stating: "Emre [Yilmaz] is one of the best, so I think a draw is okay. We're both good players."
Yilmaz added: "It was a crazy game, we both attacked crazy. It will always be goals if I play against Umut." When asked what he needs to do next time to improve, his answer was simply, "Just defend better!"
Meanwhile, the other opening match of the night saw LAN tournament rookie Lukas face off against H1dalgo, in what was another classic.
With the match deadlocked at 3-3 heading into the 68th minute, up stepped Ronaldinho - the highest-rated Icon available for selection by the Group A players - to hand H1dalgo a decisive 4-3 lead.
The Spaniard held on for a vital three points, which made him the early leader in the group.
Round 2
The second round of games provided even more drama - as well as quite possibly the biggest shock to date in the FC Pro Open. Building on his solid start, H1dalgo surprised everyone by racing into a 4-0 lead against 2023 FIFAe World Cup runner-up Mark11 inside 35 minutes.
Proving it was no fluke, the Real Betis player closed the game out to triumph 7-2 over one of the pre-tournament favourites.
At the very same time, Emre Yilmaz also registered a statement win, beating Lukas 7-3 to put himself in an excellent position heading into his third tie of the night.
Round 3
Things went from bad to worse for both Mark11 and Lukas in their third games. The Aussie was once again beaten heavily, losing 6-1 to Yilmaz.
Having not played a competitive LAN game in over 130 days, the Team Futwiz star could well be suffering from a lack of match sharpness.
In a much closer contest, Umut edged past Lukas 2-1 to get his first win on the board - and apply some pressure to the high-flying H1dalgo.
Speaking after his win, Umut singled out his star defender, Virgil van Dijk, for special praise. He stated: "I think always van Dijk [is the star player in my team]. He's cheap and he's by far the best Centre-back, he's so good."
Round 4
Heading into the fourth round of games, Mark11 was in desperate need of a win to keep his hopes of a top-two finish alive.
Up against 2023 FIFAe Club World Cup champion Umut, he was much improved, staying on level terms with his opponent for much of the game. However, two late goals from Umut saw him steal the three points, and severely dent Mark11's hopes of winning the FC Pro Open.
The early pacesetters in Group A, Emre Yilmaz and H1dalgo, also met in Round 4, with the victor looking set to end the night at the summit of the table.
Racing into a 3-1 lead, Yilmaz survived an attempted comeback from his rival to close out a 5-3 win, with Thunderstruck Icon Ronaldinho once again inflicting much of the damage for the Dutchman.
Round 5
The fifth and final matches of the evening pitted Lukas against Mark11, in what was a must-win for both players. A supreme display from Lukas saw him win 5-1, and thus keep his hopes of reaching the Finals alive for the time being.
As for Mark11, he now faces an almost impossible task to advance, needing to win all of his remaining four games in January to stand any chance of doing so.
Another player whose chances of finishing in the top two took a major dent was H1dalgo. A strong start to Group A had been derailed slightly by Emre Yilmaz, but it was an 8-5 defeat to Umut in Round 5 that did the most damage to his EA FC Pro hopes.
That result leaves Emre Yilmaz and Umut in first and second in the Group A table after four games, on 10 points each. H1dalgo is still in with a chance of catching the pair on six points, while Lukas and Mark11 must hope for a major change in fortunes next time out - on three points and zero points respectively.
Here's the Group A table after four of the eight rounds, as well as a full list of tonight's results:
FC Pro Live
It's been a good night for holders of FC Pro Live Donyell Malen and Renan Lodi items on FC 24 Ultimate Team, as Emre Yilmaz and Umut's success sees both items get a ratings boost.
With Yilmaz and Umut getting 10 points each, both Malen and Lodi get two in-form upgrades - boosting their values hugely in Ultimate Team.
The pair also helped unlocked new playstyles for their chosen items, with further upgrades possible if Yilmaz or Umut go all the way and win the FC Pro Open. Remember, the better a player does at the competition, the better their FC Pro Live item of choice will get.
That's all for Week 1 of the FC Pro Open, but do join us next Monday (December 4) at 6pm as Group B gets underway. The all-Americas affair, featuring FacuCowen, Happy, PHzin, Bonanno and Young, is not one to be missed!
In the meantime, you can keep up to date with all of the reaction from Week 1 of the FC Pro Open on our socials and at EA.com.
