eChampions League Knockout Stage: Five things we learned
Monday, March 27, 2023
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Get a taste of the drama after 32 players were whittled down to the final eight in the eChampions League Knockout Stage in London.
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Millions own a copy of FIFA 23 but only eight players are in with a chance of lifting the eChampions League 2023 trophy following a thrilling Knockout Stage in London at the weekend.
The drama had viewers on the edge of their seats as 24 elite players were eliminated from title contention. Here are the major talking points from Saturday and Sunday's games.
1) Holder eliminated by golden boy
Reigning champion Nicolas 'Nicolas99fc' Villalba took on FIFA's brightest prospect Anders 'Vejrgang' Vejrgang in a knockout match where victory meant a place in Istanbul and defeat spelt elimination.
Nicolas99fc had been awaiting the match-up all day while Vejrgang impressively withstood early pressure from Dylan 'DullenMIKE' Neuhausen before remarkably defeating eSerie A champion Danilo 'Danipitbull' Pinto 7-2 on aggregate.
A fortunate goal thanks to a shot rebounding off the post, into a defender, then over the line, helped Vejrgang send the thrilling contest to extra time, where he then eliminated last year's winner.
It was the most subdued celebration of the weekend from the young Dane until he burst into tears of joy as his mum, coach, and team-mate ran up to hug him.
2) Emre Yilmaz still unstoppable
After a fantastic undefeated run through the group stages, Team Gullit's Emre Yilmaz remarkably prevailed again.
The Dutchman cleaned through the upper bracket, defeating DullenMIKE 8-2 and Dan 'Stingray' Ray 5-2 to set up a monumental game versus Nicolas99fc to decide who would advance.
Even the reigning eChampions League champion could not deal with Yilmaz's press and found himself trailing 3-0. Nicknamed the Iceman, the composed Nicolas99fc fought back but could only make it 3-2, leaving Yilmaz as the only undefeated player left in the tournament.
3) Penalty shoot-out heartbreak
It's always devastating to lose on penalties, especially one step away from travelling to the finals in Istanbul. That was what happened when Antonio Radelja and Umut 'Umut' Gültekin faced off in the final round of the upper bracket.
Umut had come from behind to make it 5-5 to send the game to extra time, where he then took the lead. However, as the German tried to run the clock down, a misplaced pass gave Radelja one last chance to equalise and he capitalised, scoring with the final kick of regular play. It was Umut who won in sudden death as he proceeded to send his chair flying off the stage with his explosive celebration.
It was equally heart-wrenching for Giovanni 'Giobundyy' Bakhuijsen as he lost on penalties to Ander 'Neat' Tobal, allowing the Spaniard to claim the last spot in the final eight.
4) Tekkz falls at final hurdle
In one of the biggest shocks of the weekend, Donovan 'Tekkz' Hunt will not be advancing to the finals. After a loss to the equally talented Umut in the upper bracket, Tekkz had to fight his way through the lower bracket on Day 2. It started well with high-scoring wins over Andrea 'Montaxer' Montanini and Kamal 'Kamal' Kamboj.
However, Tekkz was frustrated by Daniel 'Daniel7' Dwelk at the final step as multiple missed chances, including a one-on-one in the dying moments, led to his elimination.
5) Italian success extends to eChampions League
There are two Italian teams in this season's UEFA Champions League semi-finals, and there is sure to be at least one representative in the eChampions League final four too.
Milan and Inter will be meeting on the pitch at San Siro, while the eChampions League will have its own Italian derby when Lucio 'HHezerS' Vecchione and Francesco 'Obrun2002' Tagliafierro square off in the upper bracket.
Both went through undefeated. Obrun2002 is the only player to defeat Vejrgang in the tournament so far – following an 11-goal thriller – and the Italian then crushed Ander 'Neat' Tobal 7-1 to qualify. Meanwhile, HHezerS was equally impressive in the final round with a resounding 8-3 victory over Daniel7 to book his place in Istanbul.