The FIFAe Club World Cup (FeCWC) kicked off at the Bella Arena in Copenhagen on Wednesday. The German participants sold themselves differently well: While 1. FC Köln must tremble about advancing, Schalke and NEO have everything in their own hands.
FC Schalke 04 could hardly have got off to a better start in Group B. The team led by Serhat ‘Serhatinho’ Öztürk, Hasan ‘Hasoo19’ Eker and Julius ‘Juli’ Kühle picked up four wins from five matches.
The Knappen relied on a lot of possession and thus kept the action away from their own sixteen. The Schalkers also have the best defence of all the groups with only two goals conceded. Only Diogo ‘Tuga810’ Pombo and Andoni ‘AndoniiPM’ Payo from Riders were able to put a spanner in the works of the perfect Schalker start with their switching play and knock them out of first place.
Nevertheless, the chances for the Knappen are more than good. The gap to fifth place is eight points – with 15 points still to be awarded. And yet the trio should be warned, as Olle ‘Ollelito’ Arbin knows only too well: At the FIFAe Individual World Cup, he had earned himself an excellent starting position, standing at the top of his group after Day 1, only to lose out on advancing on Day 2 without another win.
Complexity Gaming was particularly disappointing in the Schalke group. The 2019 Club World Champions entered the tournament with the winning team from that year, but failed to impress: one point, three goals and 13 conceded – a meagre return. And yet there is still a chance for this team to advance, as they are only three points behind fourth-placed Essentials Gaming.
NEO with a good starting position
NEO can also start day two with a good feeling. The team around the German singles champion Dylan ‘DullenMIKE’ Neuhausen remained undefeated against the group favourites Fnatic and Team Gullit, which should give them self-confidence. The only annoyance is the defeat against Dire Wolves.
For the Australian team, on the other hand, an immensely important sense of achievement. This win against one of the top 4 teams keeps them within touching distance of the places for the knockout round. They are one point behind Team Gullit, who are in fourth place, and two points behind third-placed NEO.
DUX America, who are in last place without a win, are well behind but still have a chance, at least in mathematical terms.
Cologne can’t afford any more mistakes
For the third German team in the group, 1.FC Köln, on the other hand, the start has not gone so well: Starting with two defeats, the Rhinelanders only got their first three-pointer against Team Flash. Denis ‘Denis’ Müller and Tim ‘TheStrxngeR’ Katnawatos bagged the win with a tight 1:0 score.
An important sense of achievement, because it keeps the Cologne team in contact with the top 4, three points ahead of Ninjas in Pyjamas. In general, the race in Group A could not be closer. EXCEL leads the table, but is only ahead of the group favourites Team Heretics because of the goal difference. MGCF eSports – RMA Tech lurk just one point behind, followed by the Ninjas.
So it is all the more important for Cologne to get off to a good start tomorrow. Starting at 11 a.m., it’s straight up against MGCF eSports – RMA Tech. A win and the “Effzeh” will be right back in it at the beginning. From 6 p.m., the decisions will be made in Group B and D.
