First fly, then kick: Anders Vejrgang topped off his early exit from the FC Pro World Championship with harsh words about his opponent. Far from showing any respect for his performance.
The biggest sensation of the FC 25 World Cup happened in the group stage: Anders Vejrgang’s mission to defend his title came to an early end – against the definition of an underdog. Aymane Ouardi, a Moroccan player largely unknown in this country, beat the Dane 2-1 thanks to a strong defense – after losing 2-10 the day before.
The underdog’s triumph was probably not entirely deserved, given the number of top chances the reigning world champion missed. Nevertheless, presenters and experts on the EA SPORTS livestream paid him great respect afterwards. After all, ‘Fakhr999’ had kept Vejrgang goalless for almost 70 minutes of in-game time – longer than any other opponent this season.
The overwhelming favorite, on the other hand, had no words of praise for his conqueror around three hours after his shock exit. “When I lose to someone like ‘Fakhr,’ it should be clear to everyone that a lot went wrong,” Vejrgang said in an interview with EA SPORTS. “He’s extremely bad and, unsurprisingly, lost the game against my teammate afterwards.”
In fact, Ouardi was unable to repeat his coup in the round of 16 against Guilherme Barros: The Brazilian, who plays for RBLZ Gaming, confidently defeated the Moroccan 4-1. Before knocking Vejrgang out of the tournament, however, ‘Fakhr999’ had already eliminated another Leipzig player: Levy Finn Rieck (3-5) also fell to the eBotola winner in the preliminary round.
“By far the worst player in the tournament”
Although Ouardi is de facto among the best 16 of the 32 participants in the FC Pro World Championship, according to Vejrgang, he is “by far the worst player in the tournament.” The Dane attributed his defeat against ‘Fakhr999’ to not having performed at his best, according to eSport. In the livestream, the pro, who is moving to the Falcons, later found other reasons.
“With all the fuss about my new team, it was difficult to focus 100 percent,” Vejrgang explained. “The announcement came just before the tournament started. I didn’t feel good, and a number of unfortunate circumstances came together.” Just making it into the top 24 of the World Championship was “extremely disappointing” for the dominant player of last year’s World Championship.
Vejrgang wants to make Falcons fans proud
After the end of his title dreams and his time with RBLZ, Vejrgang will “take a break and go on vacation—I really need it.” After that, a new chapter will begin for the 19-year-old with Team Falcons in Saudi Arabia. At the World Cup in Riyadh, he got a taste of the support from Falcons fans, who celebrated him several times with chants.
“I’m already looking forward to next year and hope to make the fans even prouder than they are today,” Vejrgang concluded. The defending champion has been eliminated from the competition – eight players will battle it out on Saturday evening to reach the final. Among them is Germany’s Jonas Wirth, who defeated Dan Ray in the first knockout round.
All results from the FC Pro World Championship can be found in our matchday overview.
