ESports Cup Pro Edition: Ajax edge out Sampdoria in the final

The first edition of the Sampdoria eSports Cup Pro Edition took place at Marassi on Tuesday afternoon, with Koen Weijland’s Ajax narrowly defeating Mattia “Lonewolf” Guarracino’s Sampdoria in the final after a thrilling contest.

Weijland managed to take advantage of a defensive error to score through Bertrand Traore as time ticked away, with the Dutchman showing impressive calm to keep Sampdoria at bay for the rest of the final. The final whistle brought confirmation that the cup – and the prize money – would be heading back to the Netherlands with Ajax.

Taking part alongside Weijland and Lonewolf were Levante eSports captain Alberto Requena Sempere “Rekegol” and Sporting Clube de Portugal’s Rafael “Rafa” Nunes. The four teams first faced off in a round-robin group stage to determine the semi-final pairings before moving on to the knock-out phase.

Weijland won all three of his group games and looked to be cruising into the final after a 1-0 win over Rekegol’s Levante in the semi-final first leg, but there was drama to come. Rekegol drew first blood in the second leg, and it seemed to be heading for a replay before Weijland bagged a decisive equalise through Dolberg at the death.

In the other semi-final, Lonewolf made short work of Sporting’s Rafa Nunes in the first leg, winning through 2-0, while a 2-2 draw in the second leg meant the Samp man advanced to the final.

There was, however, to be no home win in this first instalment of the Sampdoria eSports Cup Pro Edition. For the record, Sporting secured third spot with a golden goal winner over Levante in the third-place play-off. Regardless of the result, the tournament was a huge success and an advert for virtual sports, with over 200 people enjoying the spectacle at Marassi.

The final is over… and this is how the completed tournament looks! pic.twitter.com/N7yCWtURMW

— Sampdoria English (@sampdoria_en) May 30, 2017