Anders Vejrgang has won the FC Pro World Championship and is world champion in EA SPORTS FC 24. The 18-year-old completed his dominant run with an unprecedented final show.
In his latest eEURO triumph, Anders Vejrgang became the comeback king – the Dane didn’t need to at the FC Pro World Championship in Berlin. He dominated the individual world championship from the very first group match and won every single one of his games. In the final, he officially crowned himself the best in the world with a 7:0 win over surprise finalist Yuval Blizovsky. In addition to the trophy, the eSportsman from RBLZ Gaming also won prize money of 250,000 US dollars.
5:0 at half-time: final match as a final demonstration
Blizovsky survived the first few in-game minutes of the final unscathed, but Vejrgang dictated the pace from the kick-off. The first breakthrough led directly to the lead for the Dane: He penetrated the opponent’s penalty area via the half-right and converted into the short corner to make it 1:0 (15′). Although Vejrgang did not initially create a festival of chances, he increased the lead just a little later from distance (24′).
Blizovsky barely made it into the final third in the first half, his Leipzig opponent had everything under control defensively. Up front, he initially failed to add to his tally (34′) before scoring from a corner at the near post to make it 3-0 (37′). The expected clear-cut situation prevailed early on in the World Cup final, Blizovsky was simply overwhelmed against Vejrgang. Even before the break, the RBLZ professional scored through the middle to make it 4:0 (42′) and even 5:0 (45.+2) with a copy of the third goal.
Class difference: Final with Qualifier feeling
What the spectators saw in Berlin’s Uber Eats Music Hall was less like a World Cup final than the first round of any other qualifier. There was a difference in class between Vejrgang and Blizovsky – as had often been the case with the Dane in the group stage, round of 16 and quarter-finals. Unsurprisingly, Vejrgang continued his dominant performance after the break and quickly increased the lead to 6:0 (49′). Blizovsky was still non-existent offensively
You could feel sorry for the Israeli. Even when Vejrgang shifted down a few gears midway through the second half, his opponent was unable to create any danger. Instead, the 18-year-old Dane combined again down the right-hand side to make it 7:0 (78′). An expression of dominance in all its facets: In the 83rd in-game minute, Blizovsky fired his first shot on goal of the final, which Vejrgang’s goalkeeper parried away. Nothing more happened after that. The 7:0 meant the highest World Cup final victory in FIFA and FC eSports history.
“I still haven’t fully realized that I’m world champion,” said Vejrgang afterwards in an interview with eSport. “I want to win in exactly this way – clearly and unambiguously. Then people can’t say it wasn’t deserved.” The first thing on the agenda for the rest of the evening would be to check his smartphone: “I’m sure I have a lot of messages from all my friends. “
Semi-final: Panenka penalty and bouncing volley
In the first semi-final of the FC Pro World Championship, Vejrgang continued his dominance from the previous round: Against Youssef Charif, the surprise from the play-ins, there was never any serious question as to who would advance to the final. As early as the sixth in-game minute, the Danish favorite crossed in the opponent’s penalty area until the decisive space opened up – 1:0. Vejrgang doubled his lead with a Panenka penalty, which he then celebrated with Cole Palmer’s “cold jubilation” (21st).
A one-sided game developed, which Vejrgang had already decided at the break, as he quickly conceded two more goals to Charif (29th/40th). After the restart, the Leipzig player played a fine through pass, curved around the keeper and slotted home to make it 5:0. Vejrgang provided the visual highlight in the closing stages when he completed the half-dozen with a superb volley after a precise feed (79′). The Moroccan Charif didn’t have the slightest chance for 90 in-game minutes
Maximum tension leads to 16 penalties
There was much more tension between Blizovsky and Joao ‘jafonso’ Vasconcelos in the second World Cup semi-final. The Portuguese player went ahead twice in the first half (6th/39th), while the Israeli found the right answer twice (31st/45th). After the break, the picture was reversed: Blizovsky went in front with a rebound (56′), this time Vasconcelos equalized (70′). Caution reigned on the virtual pitch in the final 20 minutes of normal time – apart from one opportunity shortly before the end, which ‘jafonso’ missed (89′).
So Vejrgang’s final opponent had to be determined in extra time, in which Blizovsky had the first dangerous finish (96′). After some idling, the game picked up pace in the final moments: Vasconcelos first failed to beat the opposing keeper and then headed the subsequent corner kick against the crossbar (120.+2). In a highly dramatic penalty shoot-out, Blizovsky and ‘jafonso’ took 15 penalties between them before the Portuguese missed and the Israeli went through to the final against Vejrgang.
