Two German eSports players have made it through to the round of 16 in the eChampions League group stage. Leipzig’s Umut Gültekin rounds off the DFB trio with a chance of winning the title – but he has to go through to the intermediate round
RBLZ eSportsman Gültekin suffered two defeats on Sunday – although he was the clear favorite in Group H. The German eNational player was once again at odds with FC 24, venting his dissatisfaction especially after the 4:3 loss to Spain’s Ignacio Abella: “How can you come out with a game like that and not be ashamed? This has nothing to do with eSports,” shouted ‘RBLZ_Umut’ loudly through the London hall – he was clearly audible in the livestream.
But what had actually happened? ‘NachoAbella’ beat Gültekin with a low shot from distance in the final minutes. The Leipzig defender was well positioned, the Oviedo professional finished with a red timed finish – and yet the virtual ball smashed into the RB goal. The technically improbable goal left ‘RBLZ_Umut’ with a special wish: “I’d like to meet the person who programmed that. “
‘RBLZ_Umut’ has to do detention – German duo already out
However, it is also true that Gültekin did not show the dominance he often displays in the group stage. The Leipzig-based player lost two of his four games, finishing in second place with six points despite being the favorite. ‘NachoAbella’, on the other hand, was also eliminated with six points. Only the goal difference was decisive. ‘RBLZ_Umut’ will face Belgium’s Rudi Ekmen in the play-offs next weekend – then it’s all about the round of 16.
From a German perspective, Levy Finn Rieck and Jonas Wirth, who faced each other in the final of the VBL Grand Final, have already reached this stage. Paderborn’s ‘Jonny’ in particular put in an outstanding performance, dominating Group F with twelve points from four matches and a goal difference of 15:2. No other eCL participant was as strong defensively as the German individual champion.
levyfinn’ also won his group, but had a little more trouble. He conceded defeat to Frenchman Dylan Gozuacik (1:3) on the second matchday. It was all the more impressive that Rieck did not lose any more thanks to two more victories. Israeli Roee Feldman from BVB was the fourth VBL representative to make it through to the knockout phase. Meanwhile, Marc Landwehr from Bayer Leverkusen and Thomas Ostermaier from FC Bayern Munich had to bow out, finishing fourth in their respective groups.
‘Tekkz’ and “Iceman” disappoint – Netherlands dominant
Some big international names were also wiped out in the group stage: Donovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt only managed to score two points in Group A on Saturday and was eliminated without much of a chance. Frenchman Lucas ‘Leks’ Lekhal also missed out on the further stages of the tournament, only finishing fourth in the ‘Jonny’ group. The Spanish double winner Nicolas Villalba was also not in the top trio – the “Iceman” cannot repeat his eCL win from 2022.
The Netherlands impressed collectively as a nation: defending champion Emre Yilmaz left no doubt about their place in the round of 16 with four wins in four games in Group H. Eindhoven team-mate and world champion Manuel Bachoore remained unbeaten in Group E. Although Ajax professional Levi de Weerd suffered a defeat and a draw, he still came out on top against his four opponents. Amsterdam teammate Paulo ‘PHzin’ Chaves may not represent eOranje, but he does represent the Eredivisie – and the Brazilian also emerged as group winner.
In the round of 16, ‘Jonny’ awaits the intermediate round winner from Gozuacik against Lucio Vecchione. Rieck, on the other hand, will have to play the winner of the duel between Feldman and Luca Guarino. Should Gültekin win his play-off encounter with Ekmen, ‘ManuBachoore’ – his successor as world champion – would be waiting for him in the last 16. You can find all the matches and results of the eChampions League 2024 in our overview.
