All eyes were on F2Tekkz on the final day of action at the Gfinity FUT Champions Cup December, but it should not come as a surprise with Rogue MsDossary claiming the prize in London. The Saudi Arabian’s victory makes him the first man to win titles on FIFA 17, FIFA 18 and FIFA 19, cementing his status as the best FIFA player in the world, following on from his FIFA eWorld Cup conquest back in August.
MsDossary knocked off Nicolass99fc in the cross-console final in a frantic 8-3 two-legged victory.
He said after lifting the trophy and claiming the $40,000 prize money: “There was a lot of talk saying I am no good at FIFA 19, and I hope the score in the grand final shows them how good I am.”
Nicolas was a worthy runner-up, but it is just so difficult going up against Dossary who is so accomplished on both consoles. Starting on his away console, the PlayStation 4, the Rogue gamer did go down early against Nicolas, but responded with a cool finesse shot finish with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The tie did settle, but with 20 minutes remaining on the PS4 leg, Dossary struck against with a fantastic move which ended with Eusebio, producing a dummy shot to fool the defender before slotting the ball past the goalkeeper. 2-1 became 3-1 and then 4-1 with CR7 bagging a hat trick to seal a remarkable result for Dossary on his away console.
On his unfamiliar Xbox, Nicolas could have been on for a drubbing, but the FC Basel man surprised the crowd at the Gfinity Arena by responding with his Cristiano Ronaldo. After weathering the early storm, Dossary regained control by coolly slotting the ball into the top corner with Ruud Gullit, who is the most versatile player on FIFA 19.
The final looked to be put to bed with some neat play by Dossary which dragged Nicolas’s defenders out of position, with Patrick Vieira arriving from deep to go 6-2 up on aggregate. One was pulled back for Nicolas with 25 minutes to play through CR7 on the swivel, two more goals for the new champion piled more misery on Nicolas with an 8-3 victory on aggregate.
The victory was Dossary’s third in the UK, following on from successes at the FUT Champions Cup in Manchester and, of course, the FIFA eWorld Cup in London last season. He said: “It feels like home here, my family also live here. Four FIFA majors across three titles, nobody has done that and I hope I can continue my form onto my real title, the FIFA eWorld Champion.”
The old guard stands firm
The champion had earlier put the favourite F2Tekkz to the sword, with the Englishman searching to become the first man to go back-to-back-to-back and win three FUT tournaments on the spin.
Tekkz was finding his form in the competition, and had already defeated MsDossary in Bucharest so had confidence and history on his side when they met in the semi-finals.
Dossary silenced the home crowd however, racing into a 2-0 lead with two finessed efforts from that man Ruud Gullit. The 17-year-old Tekkz fought hard to get back into the contest, with both men getting the ball to the edge of the box but failing to find that yard of space for a shot. His efforts deep reap some reward, with a late first-time finesse from Ronaldinho meaning he only trailed by one going into the second leg.
The balance remained, and within half an hour in the second leg, we had parity. A speculative left-footed first-time laced effort from Tekkz with the Brazilian Ronaldo flew into the top corner, and he now had the wind behind him. Tekkz made another breakthrough with around 15 minutes to play, with a neat move finding Pele unmarked at the back post to fire into the roof of the net. Dossary wasn’t done however, with his own Pele volleying in to tie things up at 3-3 on aggregate and take it to extra time.
The first big chance in overtime fell to fellow teenager Dossary with Cristiano Ronaldo’s low driven shot somehow being denied by the feet of Thibaut Courtois. He did get the winner with just ten minutes remaining, a whipped free kick finding the head of Eusebio to take him through to the cross-console final.
Nicolas and MoAuba put on a show in PS4 final
On the PS4 side of the draw, Nicolas and the popular MoAuba produced the match of the tournament, with the Argentine claiming a frenetic 6-5 victory in the console final. The German MoAuba may have been the underdog, but you wouldn’t have known after the opening exchanges.
Both players were getting the ball in and around the box, but the Werder Bremen man got the opener with a header at the back post from the R9 Ronaldo. A shock looked to be on the cards when MoAuba made it 2-0 with a strike from Lothar Mattaus following a corner, but Nicolas got the goal he deserved when Cristiano Ronaldo volleyed home. With the last kick of the first leg, it was then made 3-1 with Johan Cruyff finding space in the back post and putting one foot in the grand final for MoAuba.
Nicolas needed a fast start in the second leg, and he got it. A great touch and finessed finish with R9 reduced the aggregate lead to 3-2, and moments later Pele was in the act, to tuck the ball away when one-on-one with the goalkeeper and square things up at 3-3. Goals were then exchanged at will, with the game going to 5-5 with just minutes remaining. A golden chance missed for MoAuba proved costly, with the Iceman countering and grabbing the winner, and himself $20,000 with a driven shot with Neymar.
Console semi-finals roundup
F2Tekkz 4-0 PSG DaXe
Tekkz got Championship Sunday off to a dream start with a clinical performance against PSG DaXe. The double champion raced to a 3-0 lead over the PSG esports man in the first leg and went about his business patiently in the second tie. The Englishman kept the ball well, with his goalkeeper barely tested, before putting the tie to bed and claiming a 4-0 aggregate victory.
Rogue MsDossary 4-3 The Royal
Two former teammates met in the first of the Xbox One semi-finals, with Dossary just squeezing out fellow Saudi Arabian The Royal. The champ picked up the early goal, an inverted curled effort from the Brazilian Ronaldo, to calm things down, and then snatched a second in injury time to give him one foot in the console final. The Royal fought back with some aggressive tactics in the second leg, and although he shipped in one further goal, he supllied three of own. The last of which just came too late, despite a brilliant chip from R9 on his side.
Stefano Pinna 1-2 nicolas99fc
Perhaps the two best players on PlayStation 4 at the moment, whoever could get over the line in the clash between Stefano Pinna and Nicolas would become the overwhelming favourite on their side of the draw. Nicolas grabbed a goal in the first leg, but this was cancelled out by Pinna midway through the second match, creating a cagey finish. Nicolas got that winning goal the minutes from time, and although his Belgian opponent came close to stealing it, the Argentine was the deserved winner.
MoAuba 7-4 9Z Yago
With the draw working in their favour and 9Z Yago defeated Yoksan in the quarter-finals, it was a huge chance for Yago and MoAuba to earn a spot in the PS4 final for the first time in their careers. Despite conceding a goal after a defensive glitch, MoAuba maintained his poise in the first leg to secure a 4-2 lead. An early goal for Yago in the second game made things interesting, but the German then turned the screw. A goalmouth interception at one end led to a goal at the other, with MoAuba taking a 7-4 aggregate victory.
The Gfinity FUT Champions Cup December marks the end of competitive FIFA action in the 2018 calendar, but we have only just touched the surface in the FIFA 19 Global Series season.
Another FUT Champions Cup in January is on the way, with location details set to be announced soon. FIFA 19 action returns to the Gfinity Arena also, with local qualifier event at the start of the year coming to London.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!