After tripping over the last step three times, Natus Vincere (Na'Vi) wins the first Major in his history and "S1mple", Oleksandr Kostyliev of his real name, the best player in the world at the moment, is finally titled at 24 years old .
"I promised myself and I did. The Major is ours," chanted "S1mple" in front of the 16,000 spectators at Stockholm's Avicii Arena.
"We thought we had to believe in ourselves, that's what we did. I'm so proud of my team. Look at them ... fucking champions!"
The Ukrainians, world No. 1 and big favorites of the competition, were badly embarked in the second round but finally managed to conclude after two extra time (16-11, 22-19).
In Counter-Strike, a five-on-five shooting video game, the principle is simple: one team must plant a bomb, while the other must prevent it before the end of a two-minute round.
Team strategy and communication play as important a role as speed of execution and agility.
"I love you !"
A Counter-Strike Major is a bit like a Grand Slam in tennis: it is the most prestigious tournament category of the year and the meeting place for the best teams in the world, but fans of the famous game had been deprived of it for two years due to the pandemic.
Supporters applaud during the Counter-Strike Major final between Natus Vincere and G2 on November 7, 2021 in Stockholm JONATHAN NÄCKSTRAND AFP
This tournament, the largest in the history of Counter-Strike in terms of overall endowment ($ 2 million), was the first esports competition of this magnitude to find its fans.
The players were therefore able to relive all this week the crazy atmosphere of the competitions in public: a full room, fans boiling with flags and signs which ignite for their prowess at the keyboard.
"I want to say thank you to these crazy fans", reacted Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhaylov, the captain of Na'Vi.
"I love you guys. Every one of you in this Arena, I love you!"
The other major video game competitions have not yet had this chance.
The League of Legends Worlds, which ended on Saturday in Iceland, were indeed held behind closed doors, as was "The International", Dota 2's flagship tournament, three weeks ago in Romania.
© 2021 AFP