Umut ‘Umut’ Gültekin is the new FIFA World Champion. The Leipzig native beat Nicolas ‘Nicolas99FC’ Villalba on the final day at the Bella Arena in Copenhagen to secure the title and 250,000 US dollars in prize money.
“Iceman” ice cold in the final second
The semi-final had already provided enormous suspense. In the first of the two matches for a place in the final, Francesco ‘Obrun2002’ Pio Tagliafierro and Nicolas ‘Nicolas99FC’ Villalba had delivered a more than just worthy duel. Going into the second leg with a mortgage, the Italian had managed to turn the game around.
In the closing stages, however, he missed several huge chances – and was then punished in dramatic fashion: The injury time had already expired when the “Iceman” Villalba had once again lived up to his name and nodded in the last ball of the game to take part in the final.
‘Umut’ completes dream final in commanding fashion
In a slightly less dramatic fashion, Umut ‘Umut’ Gültekin earned his title opportunity in the second semi-final. He had initially managed a commanding 2:1 against rookie Emre ‘EmreYilmaz’ Yilmaz in the first leg. In the second leg, he initially held this advantage for a long time. After the change of ends, the Leipzig player then managed the decision, 20 minutes before the end he put the lid on the game.
“It’s a great feeling to play against Nicolas now,” Gültekin said happily after the final whistle – and predicted a close final: “He was in my group, won one game against me and I won the other. For me, Nicolas is the best player against the ball in FIFA 22. It will be difficult for me to get into his box, but somehow I have to score. “
Final: Villalba almost with the lucky punch in the first leg
A prediction with which he was to be proved right. In the first leg, the importance of the match was clear to see. Initially, both sides felt each other out and tried to control the game.
The first chance came after 30 minutes in-game for ‘Nicolas99FC’. Umut’ lost the ball in the forward movement and Villalba appeared free in the sixteen. But before he could finish, Gültekin cleared. This was a wake-up call, as Leipzig increased the tempo and had two good opportunities shortly before the break.
In the second half, however, the tide turned. Villalba gained more possession, but did not become dangerous – ‘Umut’ stood compactly. His only shortcoming was that he lost the ball too quickly in transition play.
This was also the case shortly before the end, which almost gave ‘Nicolas99FC’ the lead. He shot from twenty metres on the half-right and hit the ball on the underside of the crossbar. From there the ball bounced in front of the goal line.
Play with open sights
The final 90 in-game minutes of the FIFAe World Cup began with more of the play from ‘Umut’ and a huge opportunity to take the lead. After Villalba had missed the finish in the sixteen, Gültekin counter-attacked: he rounded his opponent, the goalkeeper, in the penalty area, but then failed to put the ball in the goal.
Villalba seemed unsettled. He tried to regain control of his game, passing the ball back and forth in defence before the half-time whistle blew. For the second half of the second leg, he then got into the game better, but failed with a header at the goalkeeper. A game with open sights developed. ‘Umut’ drew the short straw with a shot from a central position against the opposing keeper.
15 minutes before the end of the game, Gültekin had a moment of shock: ‘Nicolas99FC’ put the ball through into the sixteen, was free in front of goal, but put the ball next to the post. It wasn’t that dramatic after all, as it was also ruled offside. So after a goalless 180 in-game minutes, it went into extra time.
Penalty shootout: ‘Umut’ showed no nerves
There were no scoring chances on either side, so the penalty shoot-out had to decide the match: ‘Nicolas99FC’ missed the second, ‘Umut’ sank all of them and secured the title in a thriller of nerves in his first World Cup appearance.
“This is an absolutely insane moment for me and the most beautiful day in my life,” the world champion summed up his emotional state to us after his triumph. Especially the support from other German players and streamers from the audience would have pushed him: “I’m in the tunnel, listening to music, but when they are so loud, I still get it. That was a very crass support. Also from everyone who was streaming it.”
Amidst all the joy, however, ‘Umut’ also cast an eye on the upcoming FIFA eNations Cup, where he is aiming for the double with Mustafa ‘xMusti19’ Cankal: “My goal is to win every tournament and every match. That also goes for ‘Musti’. We will try to represent Germany in the best possible way, go as far as possible and maybe lift the trophy.”
Before that, however, the victorious World Cup debutant wants to enjoy the well-deserved reward of his work and celebrate himself and his strong support properly: “The day is not over yet. Let’s see what goes on at the after-show party. “