South Korean giants T1, led by “Faker,” won their fifth League of Legends (LoL) world championship crown in London on Saturday, beating China’s Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in a thrilling final.
The teams were locked at 2-2 at a packed O2 arena, but T1 clinched game five to make it back-to-back titles after nearly four hours of tense action.
China’s BLG started strongly, taking the first game before T1 struck back to level.
Photo: AFP
The Chinese team pulled ahead again at 2-1 only for their opponents to hit back again and go on to take the decider.
Faker, who won the Most Valuable Player award, was asked what message he would send to himself from 11 years ago, when he clinched his first world title.
His response was: “Have fun.”
For the third year in a row the five players in the team were the same — Zeus, Oner, Gumayusi and Keria accompanying Faker.
The 28-year-old, whose real name is Lee Sang-hyeok, is a multi-millionaire e-sports superstar in South Korea, who has been given the title of “national treasure.”
Even though the match started around midnight in South Korea due to the time difference, hundreds of dedicated T1 fans gathered at LoL Park, an e-sports venue in central Seoul, to cheer on their beloved team. The crowd erupted in cheers when Faker appeared on the screen.
“T1 is the most special team, because it makes things happen when everyone else says it’s impossible,” T1 fan Lee Pari said.
Hundreds of Chinese fans arrived early for a watch party in a shopping mall in Beijing.
Cosplayers dressed as characters from the game posed for photos on the steps leading to the entrance.
Inside, fans were packed shoulder to shoulder an hour before the first round.
Cheers filled the room when BLG players appeared on the screen, and periodic chants of “BLG! BLG!” rang through the mall.
Speaking after the match, 19-year-old student Du Zhaoyan said he had not expected BLG to lose.
“I thought they could win and I wasn’t planning on going back to school tonight,” he said. “I was going to go out for a drink with people who were also watching the game tonight and stay out until sunrise before going back to school. So, now it feels a bit depressing to leave.”
However, engineer Zhao Lingling, 26, said she was a Faker fan.
“I’m very happy to see him win his fifth championship,” she said. “He played very well tonight, and his fourth game was very impressive. [China’s] Bin also played very well. I hope to see Faker again in Chengdu next year.”
The goal in LoL, which pits two teams of five against each other, is to destroy the enemy’s base, known as the Nexus.
South Korea have traditionally been a LoL powerhouse, but in recent years Chinese teams have been growing stronger.
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat. A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season. The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining. Mitchell was one of six Cleveland
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Manchester United on Thursday settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie. United led on Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 58th minute, but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes’ hand ball and Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot. The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday. A spot in the quarter-finals is to be on the line at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday next
RSS