A Latin American feast of entertainment in Match Week 2 of the FC Pro Open saw PHzin, Young, Happy, FacuCowen and Bonanno compete in Group B.

As was also the case when Group A played in Match Week 1, we have learned plenty of lessons. From an automatic qualifier being at the top to the ruthless nature of esports, we run through those lessons here.

PHzin’s automatic dominance

There were plenty of people waiting to see how PHzin would do following the struggles of his fellow automatic qualifier Mark11 last Match Week. While the FUTWIZ player never got going, PHzin was virtually unstoppable.

Not only did the Ajax player make a quick start with his results in the FC Pro Open, but he also did so in the individual matches themselves. The first of many Heung-min Son goals scored throughout the Match Week arrived a mere eight minutes into his opener against Bonanno, a penalty was converted 10 minutes into his meeting with Young and it took 14 minutes to open the scoring against FacuCowen.

PHzin’s first match against Bonanno was seen as the group’s heavyweight fixture by many before the evening started, and the Brazilian went on to earn a 5-2 win that set the tone for both players. That was aided by his ability to come out on top in big moments, scoring with Caroline Graham Hansen moments after stopping a dangerous counter which came shortly before half time.

Up next was Young, who had openly stated before the draw that he didn’t want to face his compatriot and called PHzin “the best Brazilian of all time” ahead of their match. It was proven that his stance came with good reason, as the Ajax player went on to secure a 6-2 victory with the help of a stunner from Federico Valverde.

His progress was slowed down slightly as he was held to a 4-4 draw by FacuCowen, and there may have been concern when Happy took a 1-0 lead in PHzin’s final match. Normal service soon resumed, though, as he went on to secure a dominant 7-1 win.

In addition to silencing any doubts around automatic qualifiers being able to make their mark in the Open, all of the above also left PHzin three points ahead at the top of Group B.

Tuzzy coming to compete

Tuzzy Esports had three of their players taking part in Group B, and while many may have been looking towards PHzin and Bonanno as the most likely to progress, the Tuzzy trio are fighting for second place to prove they are ones to watch.

A mere three points separate the three of them with Young and Happy both on seven points while FacuCowen currently has four to his name.

The first all-Tuzzy match-up saw Young beat FacuCowen 6-4 despite the latter coming from behind to draw level twice, making this the latter’s first defeat in competitive FC 24 after he had gone 7-0 during the Global Qualifier.

FacuCowen participated in another all-Tuzzy tie against his newest teammate, Happy, being outdone again as the Mexican won 3-1 just a day after joining the team. At the same time, Young suffered a disappointing 6-2 defeat against PHzin, but there was the positive sign that the Brazilian doesn’t give up easily as he scored a late goal.

While Young sat out the third round of fixtures, there was further encouragement for Tuzzy as two quickfire goals helped Happy to a 3-2 win over Bonanno and FacuCowen refused to be defeated by PHzin, securing a 4-4 draw with a late header from Raphael Varane.

Happy wasn’t as successful against PHzin as he lost 7-1, but Young returned to winning ways in the fourth round of matches by beating Bonanno 6-3. Those results perfectly set up the final round of matches.

FacuCowen secured a vital 7-1 win against Bonanno to ensure he retains a serious chance of progressing when Group B plays again in January, but the main entertainment came in Young’s match-up with Happy.

Young had seemed destined to take a victory that would leave him one point behind group leader PHzin when the Brazilian was two goals up, but he instead saw Happy score twice to equalise and draw level on points. Things could have been even better for the team’s newcomer, as Young made two blocks in quick succession to deny him in the final seconds.

Happy has captured the imagination of many since the Global Qualifier – with the Mexican’s dad also adding to the positive sentiment – and he was awarded the Player of the Day by Pieface on this occasion. He does remain outside of the top two on goal difference, with Young bettering his tally by five goals.

FacuCowen is three points behind the other Tuzzy players after losing against both of them. Even so, the superb draw against PHzin and Bonanno demolition gives him a chance of progressing if the Argentine can improve the results against his teammates.

Tuzzy Esports have shown that they can put on a show, and there will be plenty looking forward to seeing it again in January.

Bonanno’s banana skin

So much was expected of Bonanno ahead of this round of fixtures, but the Manchester City player endured an incredibly disappointing Match Week that included four defeats, 21 goals conceded and just eight scored.

In Group A, Mark 11’s inability to secure any points was widely put down – at least partly – due to his lack of competitive FC 24 action, but there had been no such issue for Bonanno. The Argentine had been brilliant during the Global Qualifier, with his only defeat coming against Man City teammate Tekkz.

However, he struggled from start to finish this time around, with the 7-1 defeat against compatriot FacuCowen in the final match being the heaviest of them all.

Bonanno is undoubtedly a talented player who has previously put in some brilliant displays during his career and will do so again moving forward. So, even though Bonanno will be focusing on improving his individual performances, the Argentine’s struggles offered a wider lesson in how ruthless esports can be at the very top level.

Absolutely anybody hoping to be successful during the FC Pro Open and beyond needs to bring their best, otherwise their chances of glory can be brought to an end quickly.