Hellgamers and Stordalen Fanclub Victorious in ECEC

The final evening commenced with the decisive match in the Rocket League competition. It was a showdown between two formidable teams, Thermia We Heat and Strawberry Stordalen Fanclub, vying for the top spot. In a previous encounter during the tournament, Thermia secured the win, establishing an early lead in the final.

The final round was played in a best-of-five format, starting off cautiously before Thermia, somewhat deservedly, took the lead. However, Strawberry quickly responded with an equalizer and, in the closing seconds of the match, had a golden opportunity to clinch victory. Yet, Jimmie of Thermia made a fine save, pushing the first match into overtime. Jimmie then followed up his save by swiftly scoring a goal just six seconds into overtime, securing the win for Thermia.

With Thermia leading after the first round, something stirred within the Strawberry team, comfortably equalizing the match series with a 3-0 victory in the second encounter. The comfortable win was followed by a much tighter match in the teams’ third meeting, where player Gylfen proved pivotal for SSF.

Leading 3-2, he embarked on a solo run that not only completed a hat-trick but also sealed the match and, to some extent, the entire final series. Strawberry showed no mercy in the final match, pulling ahead 2-0 and exerting significant pressure on Thermia, who struggled to respond effectively. Ultimately, Strawberry clinched the match 3-1, thus becoming the champions of ECEC 2024.

“We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate in ECEC and to represent Strawberry through e-sports. Winning this tournament fills us with immense joy and pride, and we hope to achieve the same in the future,” said Liam Hedman from the winning team.

The CS final was commented on by Ninjas in Pyjamas coach, Daniel Narancic. Inet AB Ready For Start and Advania Hellgamers provided the entertainment. The first map played was Ancient. Inet surged ahead in the match, showcasing why they remained undefeated until the final with a clear 9-1 lead. This only solidified the feeling around the match series: Inet was the clear favorite for the gold. However, this did not deter Advania. Instead, they displayed strong morale and systematically worked their way back into the match, with the score tied at 9-9, it was evident that Advania had the advantage. With a final score of 13-11, Advania rightfully claimed victory.

The second map of the evening was Anubis, and it proved to be an incredibly tight and nerve-wracking battle between two high-performing teams. Advania held a slight lead throughout the map and secured match point at 12-8. However, Inet refused to relent, keeping their composure and taking the match to overtime. Overtime was evenly matched, ending in a 15-15 draw, leading to a second overtime. Again, the second overtime was closely contested, with a slight advantage for Advania, who secured another opportunity to close out the match with the score at 18-17.

A delightful redemption for the Advania team, who as recently as last year, suffered defeat in the semifinals.

“After last year’s third-place finish, we were hungry for victory. Inet AB presented us with a significant challenge, but we remained calm and played methodically. Even when things looked bleak at the start of the match, it was 100% positive mental attitude. With the help of some incredibly important clutches, we were able to come out on top. GGWP!”