This weekend, at PortAventura World, among German, Italian, American tourists and some Spanish families, who took advantage of the days before Easter to avoid getting too many people in the theme park, a final debuted in which the winner was the Atlético de Madrid against Real Betis. Although this time the teams did not have the usual players.
At the wheel of the rojiblancos, Tuga and Andoni, while, wearing the green and white bético, H1dalgo and Bonanno. A battle on the pitch in which the teams did not sweat their shirts, although nerves were on the surface. The eLaLiga Santander Cup was debated behind a screen, PlayStation controller in hand, with hardly any time to blink, in a marathon day playing FIFA 23 that began at half past three in the afternoon and ended at ten at night.
Eight clubs faced each other in an incomparable setting, the emblematic Temple Magic of PortAventura World. While outside the park, visitors to the park shouted with the excitement of the Dragon Khan, inside, the fans of each club (and some of the relatives of the participants) passionately waved the flags of each team.
Even Indi, the Atlético de Madrid mascot, did not want to miss the match, cheering on the fans and suffering without losing attention to the screens until the 5-3 win for the rojiblancos (although their particular dances were missed). . eSports are increasingly present in our country and the more than 2,000 fans who attended this final are proof of this.
For those unfamiliar with these eSport matches, listening to match commentators talking about a Benzema goal in a Betis match against Real Oviedo can be confusing, as as far as we know, the player is under contract with Real Madrid. Just like watching players run, who aren’t even active anymore, squad up, squad down, it can be shocking, but the king of sports moves masses on and off the screens and this eLaLiga Santander final has shown it Cup.
They came from all over Spain to the theme park, located in the Tarragona municipalities of Vilaseca and Salou, not only to attend the final, but also to enjoy other programmed activities such as a ‘meet and greet’ with Twitch streamers Kolderiu and Spursito . The most important FIFA competition in Spain debuted the 2v2 modality for the first time in its cup that distributed 50,000 euros in prizes, 20,000 for the winners.
This change did not convince some of the participants, accustomed to playing the rest of the season one on one, however, they demonstrated full control of the EA Sports video game, FIFA 23, knowing how to perfectly understand this doubles game.
“I’ve been playing FIFA for years and it’s amazing to see how, year after year, more and more fans come to this type of event to experience the finals live with the team’s players. It’s a joy.” Javier Merino explained to EL MUNDO during the matches, which he attended with five other friends and their two children.
During the day there were seven heart-stopping matches in which SD Huesca, Atlético de Madrid, Real Betis, Real Sociedad, Real Oviedo, Mallorca, Sevilla and Real Valladolid debated to find out which two would fight for the final title. Thus, during the first confrontation, Real Betis eliminated Huesca without much effort, marking themselves already then as favorites for the final. Dani Aguilar and IcyJony with their SD Huesca fought what they could, but they weren’t enough of a rival, ending the game 1-2.
During the next confrontation, Real Oviedo led by Nacho Abella and Yago took Real Sociedad led by AnderHipo15 and Zidane10 ahead with a 0-3 scoreline, while Atlético de Madrid knocked down Real Mallorca led by Aangelitto and Guitux, despite the fact that it was a 2 to 0 on aggregate. Marking the people of Madrid as favorites of the public.
In the last quarterfinals, Neat and Zezinho’s Real Valladolid broke through with a 3-1 victory over David Sanchez and JuanMa SG’s Sevilla FC. While in the semifinals, Real Betis got their place in the grand final , with a global score of 5-3, in a great, hard-fought match against Real Oviedo. During the second semifinal, Atlético de Madrid finally knew how to defend the field better than the Valladolids, going to the final with a 3-5 win.
It was then that the 2,000 attendees prepared to attend the most tense game of the day. The relatives of the people of Madrid were the ones who put the greatest effort into chanting, celebrating ahead of time a drink that they already saw as theirs. A draw during the first game demonstrated the power of each team, leaving the béticos out with a 3-1 score in the second game. Already full, Tuga and Andoni lifted the 2023 eLaLiga Santander Cup trophy, while Indi and the fans celebrated in style the virtual victory that became a real and cash prize for the winners.
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