Confident as an underdog, BBL lovers rock defeated Fnatic, proving that Turkish talent is here to stay in VCT EMEA.
The BBL Esports rookies entered the tournament as underdogs, and they liked those odds. Against Fnatic, they weren’t afraid to show what true Turkish talent looks like. Umut “Lovers Rock” Pekdoğan believes their victory came from taking risks. The team is confident that nothing will stand in their way on the road to the Masters Santiago.
In an interview with esports.gg, the Turkish player opened up about beating the comeback kings, defying expectations, and proving that BBL is the best Turkish team in the tournament.
BBL Esports stuns Fnatic with a clean 2-0 sweep
No one expected BBL to make it into the top four of VCT EMEA. Yet they defied expectations, securing an incredible victory over fan-favorite Fnatic. Every player on BBL believed they could win on Breeze after the 3-9, and their confidence paid off.
And if you were asking what BBL is feeding Yusuf "Lar0k" Kanber, which has been doing insane results every match so far, well, lovers rock has an answer for that. "It's not BBL. I think it is his girlfriend. She gives him all the energy. He is like this all the time, a god," he laughed.
Lovers rock had a slow start on Breeze, but he knew he would be different then as soon as the sides changed. While he was not with a good score, his mindset was stronger than ever. "I was still calm. If I can't shoot, I'll communicate with the team. If I can't do both, well, that's not happening," he laughed. For lovers rock, coming back on Breeze against the team of comeback is a great feeling.
On defense, with an operator on his hands, no one could stop him. "In my mind, I knew I was going to kill them all, and eventually that happened." As a big fan of an operator, lovers rock is not as much of a fan of the new Breeze. An open map is great for an op player, but this rework is not that bad. "Breeze is good because it is a big map," he said.
BBL lovers rock: "Being an underdog is a good feeling."
Even before entering the stage, BBL knew they were not the favorites, but "being an underdog is a good feeling," according to lovers rock. However, for Fnatic, that overconfidence might have ended their chances for this series. "We watched their tier list video. Crashies said something about us not having much experience on stage, but today that experience didn't help them," the Turkish player stated.
BBL lovers rock feels even more relaxed being considered the underdogs because "when you know the other team is a favorite, you don't have much pressure," he explained. While lovers rock has been ending the matches with great results, he does not feel the pressure to be at this high-level all the time. He not only has a team he can rely on when he’s off his game, but he also knows he can make a comeback.
To beat Fnatic, the key was simple: don’t play their game. As Lar0k said, winning meant taking risks and defying expectations. Fnatic is stacked with top-tier individual talent, and trying to match them at their own game would have been a guaranteed defeat. "We won because we took risks," he said. "People are always scared to play against them or try something new, but we aren’t scared at all."
The best Turkish players in VCT EMEA
For lovers rock, there’s no doubt that BBL is the best Turkish team in the region. The fan support in the crowd is incredible, but you won’t catch him staring at the stands. There’s a reason for that.
"One day, the coach told us we needed to focus on the monitor and not look at anyone," he recalled. "I can hear my teammates standing up, and I know the crowd is there. I’m happy they’re with us, but I don’t look at them." If he looked at someone during that 0-10, he does not think he would be able to kill anyone. "I needed to be fully in the game." And he is a little bit afraid of coach Mert "KEY" Çelebi, but in a good way.
For the fans, lovers rock has a very special message: "Keep believing in us. We love you. Thank you to everyone who supports us. Keep waiting because we will be in the Masters Santiago!"
To secure qualification, BBL Esports must first defeat the winner of Team Liquid vs. Team Vitality, and then take on the second upper-bracket finalist from the other match: NAVI vs. Gentle Mates. Only one of these teams will qualify through the upper bracket, while the remaining squads will drop to the mid bracket for another shot at making it through.
