E-football players from Montenegro gathered at the 1v1 football simulation tournament, which was organized in Podgorica over the weekend. The competition, which also announces the Montenegrin League, started at noon, and qualifying matches could also be watched via the stream on the YouTube channel.
Through three rounds, 24 competitors, who were divided into six groups, played matches, and 16 e-football players continued the competition through the round of XNUMX.
There was no doubt that the main favorites would reach the final Bojan Tatar, who will soon represent Montenegro at the e-football World Championship, as well as last year's national team Vučeta Šćepanović i Rade Pavićević. However, the biggest surprise of the tournament is certainly Marko Vuletic, who, although he has many years of experience in this game, has not been playing the 1v1 mode in recent years, but rather focusing on the 11v11 mode.
Thus, Vučeta managed to knock out Vuletić in the semi-finals, while Tatar lost to Pavićević.
Two tournament organizers - Tatar and Vuletić, otherwise long-time teammates of efc Budućnost, found themselves on opposing sides. In the fight for third place, Vuletić was better 2:1. In the final itself, Vučeta Šćepanović celebrated, who beat Pavićević with a score of 2:1.
"I am overjoyed. I am of the opinion that this is one of the best organized tournaments ever in our country. Everything was in perfect order, and the players fully complied with everything that was asked of them, and thus made our job much easier", shared the impressions of the third-placed Vuletić, who himself reflected on the fact that he had not played 1v1 mode for a long time, and how much it was crucial to finish third in this tournament.
"I don't know if I would have achieved an even better result if I had started playing earlier. Maybe I'm the player with the fewest games played in this mode on eFootball, and in terms of competition, my goal was to be at least behind the three guys who were next to me in the semi-finals and who are currently really dominating our scene. I achieved my goal by placing in the semi-finals, and the 'bronze' only gave me additional motivation to dedicate myself more. I don't blame myself for anything, even before the tournament I knew what was missing from my game, and I am absolutely aware of what I can (and I didn't have time) to improve. For now, this is my maximum," admits Vuletić.
And Bojan Tatar did not hide the fact that he was satisfied with how the tournament went in terms of organization, but also that he was not disappointed that he was fourth in this competition, because the nuances were decisive.
"As I said before, this tournament served me as a preparation for the World Championship. I'm satisfied with the fact that I saw what I need to work on", admits Tatar, who lost to Rad in the semi-finals. When asked to what extent the details of the organization, because as an organizer he had to take care of every detail, influenced the drop in concentration, he answers:
"I was definitely not at my level during the whole tournament. I was primarily committed to getting as many guys as possible to participate and to be satisfied with the organization of the tournament. So Rade absolutely deserved it, and I hereby congratulate him, Vučeta and Marko on the awards they won," Tatar said honestly.
As each tournament is an indicator of some details for the players, Tatar will also use this participation to provide the best possible matches in Bali.
"Well, I was definitely guided by some little things that I needed. I've tried various tactics, teams and now in a few days I'm leaving to devote myself seriously to the preparation for the World Cup. "I have collected everything on which tactics to respond and I have expanded the selection of teams also to three, which can be decisive for me at the World Championship," Tatar is sure.
As the tournament is a prelude to the Montenegrin League, the plan for the same has not yet been made in detail.
"When it comes to the league, some details are still being worked out. The league definitely starts in mid-December and will last until May. I can also tell you that by May we will have five such mini-tournaments where 32 players will participate and all of them will be scored. In the end, before that final tournament in May, the sum of all points from the previous five tournaments will be added up, and accordingly, the final will be played by the 16 best, who will be divided into four hats, according to the place in the table they achieved", Tatar explains the rules. league.
Last year he represented Montenegro at the World Championship in China, and at this tournament Rade Pavićević reached the final. However, since football simulation is a game in which nuances decide, Rade reveals which of his mistakes Šćepanović used in the final:
"At the very beginning of the tournament in the group stage, I was kind of struggling with my form, it didn't look like I could and wanted, but as the tournament progressed, I got better and better. I think I deserved to be in the finals. It is true that the nuances determine the winner, because we all know each other well and have been playing together for a long time, so it is difficult for someone to surprise someone else with something new. A moment of inspiration and better concentration is enough to prevail on someone's side", explains Paićević, who can't wait for the official Montenegrin league in e-Football to start.
"I am very satisfied with the complete organization, everything was at a high level and on par with the organization of the biggest tournaments. This is exactly what we lacked in the last period - a good tournament, socializing throughout the day and at the end good prizes that always attract an even larger number of competitors. I am preparing for the league, this was an overture for the league and I have no doubt that the organization will be at a high level, just like this tournament", Pavićević is sure.
Whenever there is a tournament, whether he was previously in PES or already a year in e-Football, Vučeta Šćepanović is always one of the main favorites. About how much such expectations put pressure on him, he answers:
"I can say that I overcame that pressure before, when I represented Montenegro at the European Championship. So I don't have that kind of 'distraction' at local tournaments," admits the tournament champion.
In the final tournament that was held in Podgorica at the end of the summer, where our representative for the EP and WC in e-football was chosen, Vučeta lost to Tatar. Then, before the final match, he changed his team, which somehow cost him the result. How much did he analyze the other players' mistakes before this tournament, given that they all know each other and know each other's game, he answers:
"Well, I think that the change of team was not decisive, but not playing and lack of training. Before this tournament, I didn't pay attention to my opponents, but only to my own game, which in the end turned out well considering that I showed quality in the game", Šćepanović is proud, and reveals who was his toughest opponent in this tournament:
"Besides the final, which was very tense, I can say that the semi-final match against Marko Vuletić was perhaps the hardest for me," admits Šćepanović, who will also represent Montenegro in Bali. However, instead of e-football and 1v1 mode, Vučeta will wear the jersey of the national team and will be the leader of our team that will represent us in the CS:GO game. When asked how much he will spar with Bojana in e-Football during his stay in Bali, he answers:
"As much as I would like to help Bojan in that situation, my main focus is still on CS:GO. I train with the national team every day and we complement each other before the World Cup. Therefore, there is no room for e-Football", concludes Šćepanović.
Bonus video:
