In a sign of the truly #worldconnected nature of the Global Esports Games, advice from his ‘brother’ back in Iran helped Hasan_Player1 overcome his storied Brazilian rival
Iran’s Hasan_Player1 woke up in the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Center on Friday confident he could win gold at his first Global Esports Games. But in the end it was tactics delivered from an athlete who fell just short 12 months ago who helped him fulfil his and his country’s dream.
“Before the final, I had advice from Morteza (Mohammadi), a call. He gave me information and a strategy,” Hasan_Player1 revealed after coming through to triumph 2-1 in a see-saw final.
A year ago, Mohammadi had seen another Brazilian, João Vitor, win gold in the Global Esports Federation’s flagship tournament, and he was determined not to see his “friend and brother” suffer a similar fate.
After Eduardinho_PR took the first match on penalties, it looked to many inside the noisy GEF_house arena like the yellow and green of Brazil might grab gold once more. But Hasan_Player1 was not too concerned.
“Comeback. I thought just about a comeback,” he said with a laugh. “I knew I could do it.”
Do it he did, taking the lead three times in the crucial second match, and just managing to hold off a determined – and, at times, desperate – Eduardinho_PR. The Brazilian twice fought back to level, before falling to a 3-2 defeat.
Utterly clinical in the decider, Hasan_Player1 scorched to a 3-0 lead in the first half, and, despite conceding late, he held on to give Iran a first GEG eFootball title.
“They (Brazil) are very good in football but in eFootball Asia is better,” a delighted Hasan_Player1 said, before revealing there is more to come from him – rating his performance a modest “eight out of 10.”
A phlegmatic Eduardinho_PR was happy to reflect on a magnificent effort – and indeed tournament.
“I am a little sad to lose, but it has been a good tournament for me,” the 18-year-old said. “The first two games were close, but he is a very good player, and he was someone who could win. But I have enjoyed this experience.
“We are in a beautiful city and it is the biggest tournament I have ever played in, so I am happy about it.”
The bronze medal went to WillyFreire10 of Team #worldconnected. He and his family have battled through a horribly tough past four months, and, after showing great skill to defeat the 15-year-old hometown favorite Arda––Golaaazooo in the bronze medal match, his mind immediately turned to his wife.
“My family are very happy and proud of me, especially my wife Stefanie Alvarez, who is my biggest supporter and inspiration for all this,” said WillyFreire10, who lost his one-month-old child to heart problems in August.
“Esports has been a way of maintaining my mental health. This tournament has been good motivation for me,” he added. “It’s a great satisfaction to do that and represent my country.”