All eyes were on Madrid this weekend, as Liverpool defeated Tottenham in the Champions League Final to claim their sixth European title. That was not the only big UEFA tournament taking place however, with the inaugural eChampions League Finals kicking off the night before the clash in the Wanda Metropolitano.
The tournament was open to players all over the world, and it was Christopher “NYC_Chris” Holly who upset the applecart and took the eChampions League trophy home to the US. The New York City player defeated Ivan “DrNightWatch” Churov 7-4 in the grand final, taking the prize of $100,000 and more importantly, 850 FIFA 19 Global Series points, boosting his ranking ahead of the FIFA eWorld Cup this summer.
Image courtesy of EA
Chris said after the win: “I am still in shock, it’s my first ever trophy. I’ve been close before, but what a title to win, it’s crazy. I hope this puts me up there with the biggest names in FIFA esports, but to be honest, I still have a long way to go. Mentally I have to be tougher, and I still need to improve, but hopefully the form continues for the Global Series Playoffs and the FIFA eWorld Cup Finals.”
Unlike any of the other major tournaments that make up the FIFA 19 Global Series, the eCL was only played on PlayStation 4, given their affiliation with the Champions League. This gave a huge advantage to PS4 players, but that didn’t stop runner up DrNightWatch & Fouad “Vitality Rafsou” Fares who were two Xbox One players to make it through to the quarter-finals on their unfamiliar console.
Goes up 6-3 on aggregate in the first eChampions League Grand Final.Takes a sip of water.My man.@didychrislito // @NYCFCpic.twitter.com/ehqy8rEmFQ
— eMLS ? Major League Soccer (@eMLS)
May 31, 2019
Grand Final: DrNightWatch 4-7 NYC_Chris
After some cagey opening moments, Chris broke the deadlock, and it was fitting that a Liverpool man got the first goal, as Virgil van Dijk rose highest from a corner to take the lead. Just before half time in the first leg, the NYC FC man repeated the trick in the exact same manner, putting some real pressure on Night Watch. Chris looked as if had scored a third through the Brazilian Ronaldo, but this goal was ruled out after full time, with the American having breached the regulations with only four Ultimate Team Icons allowed in the lineup at any given time.
So, with the scoreline reduced to 2-0 after the first leg, it was imperative Night Watch started well, and he did just that with Eusebio firing in when one-on-one with David De Gea. The lead didn’t last long however, with Ruud Gullit, who was live in the studio, slotting the ball home in at near post for Chris. Both players then scored with both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to tie the leg up at 3-3, with Chris leading 5-3 on aggregate. The crucial blow as dealt by Chris’s Gullit, firing in with a volley, and he soon followed up with a second screamer from Neymar. There was still time for Kai Havertz to pick up a consolation for Night Watch, with Chris claiming the title 7-4.
Semi-finals: DrNightWatch 8-4 TG Zezinho
DrNightWatch struck first against Henrique “TG Zezinho” Lempke thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo, with Eusebio handing him an early 2-0 advantage. A goalkeeping error from Thibaut Courtois allowed Zezinho back into it, but Night Watch remained composed to bend in with Eusebio once again. A Van Dijk header for Team Gullit man Zezinho kept him within arm’s reach, but his opponent was always a step ahead, with the Brazilian Ronaldo restoring the two-goal advantage.
Zezinho got the early goal ne needed in the second leg, but just before the break Night Watch pulled away once again with calmness from Cristiano Ronaldo. Gareth Bale landed the hammer blow to put the Bulgarian 6-3 up, but there was still time for the two CR7s to exchange blows, before a final strike from R9 for Zezinho saw him take the semi-final 8-4.
NYC_Chris *4-4 North Marcuzo (*wins 4-2 on pens)
PS4 eWorld Cup finalist Marcus “North Marcuzo” Jorgensen was the favourite up against Chris due to his big game experience. An early R9 goal was ruled out for offside, but it was the other Ronaldo who made the difference, with Cristiano firing in on the turn. After half-time in the first leg Chris equalized with an acrobatic Ronaldo effort at the back post, before yet another Virgil van Dijk header put the American 2-1 up.
Chris pulled 3-1 ahead with an R9 header, but some fantastic footwork from Marcuzo’s Neymar brought him right back in it, and soon enough he was level. An outrageous first-time volley from Neymar moved the score to 3-3, two minutes from time. On to extra time, and Neymar yet again fired in at the near post for Chris, but Marcuzo kept his cool to slip one in with Havertz. Misses from Alex Telles and Neymar cost the Danish Marcuzo, with Cristiano Ronaldo doing the business for Chris to win it from the spot.
Quarter-finals: DrNightWatch 4-3 AlanAvi
coL Joksan 3-4 TG Zezinho
Vitality Rafsou 4-5 NYC_Chris
North Marcuzo 5-4 Mkers Lev
Written byAlastair Pusinelli@pusi_11