Selangor Red Giants dedicated their Mobile Legends: Bang Bang trophy win at the Esports World Cup on Sunday to all the fans who came to Saudi Arabia from across the globe to cheer them to victory.
The Malaysian side beat Saudi Arabian/Philippines outfit Team Falcons AP Bren 4-3 in an incredible best-of-seven Grand Final to earn a $1 million prize as tournament victors.
The epic encounter was played out in front of a packed, capacity crowd at the SEF Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City, with the crackling atmosphere resembling a vital World Cup football match.
Simon Lim, the chairman of Selangor Red Giants, said: “We would like to thank all the traveling fans. They came from Jordan, from Egypt, from Dubai, from Abu Dhabi, and also from Malaysia as well. They came all the way here to support the boys and that isn’t easy. They spent good money to be here, and we are truly, truly grateful. They are our special fans, and this trophy is dedicated to all the fans here.”
Sekys, the Selangor Red Giants Jungler, admitted the Grand Final – in which he was declared MVP – was the “most intense match” he had ever been involved in during his career.
Arcadia, the head coach of Selangor Red Giants, added: “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s real – it still feels like a dream. We are so happy. It means everything to us. We really worked hard for this win. We are grateful to all the support we had in order to win. It’s so hard for me to put into words how we are feeling right now and how happy we are.”
Team Falcons AP Bren may have ended up in second place, but they produced a performance to be proud of in the final.
Super Marco, the Gold Laner for Team Falcons AP Bren, said: “It was the best experience of my life. I got to meet my idols since I was a kid, and it was the best experience meeting them. The organization here is super good. We hope that this continues for a long time. Thank you to everyone, it has been superbly executed.”
Running from July 3 – August 25, the Esports World Cup is the pinnacle of professional esports –with 22 tournaments across 21 titles throughout its eight-week duration.
The upcoming Week 3 of the Esports World Cup features action from the Dota2 Riyadh Masters, Counter-Strike 2, and PUBG Mobile.