proArmy takes the PES VN Cup

The recent Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) VN Cup held in March was swept clean by the players from proArmy Gaming. Despite the cold temperature in Hanoi, proArmy Gaming brought the heat to the eSports arena, beating 80 other skilled gamers to bring 3 of their players to the semi-finals. proArmy’s star player, Hoang Ha “Xesi” Le, ended up taking the championship title.

The gaming area

Gamers were left surprised when PFV.MrTino lost to No.1 and when Mander was knocked out by Mr.No13. But the biggest shock was when Sweet – the young leader of team uNs – lost to PFV.Hoang81 due to his lack of focus that day.

The early match between proA.Xesi and uNs.Batigol grabbed the attention of the gamers in the arena. Xesi was leading in the first match, but Batigol, with his amazing dribbling skills and unpredictable playstyle, leveled the score by taking the second game. However, in the third match (the competition was played in a best-of-three-rounds format), Xesi played very well, taking a convincing win over Batigol.

 The quarter-finals

It soon became obvious that 2 team – proArmy and StreetTeam – were vying to sweep the competition, each of them having 3 gamers in the quarter finals. The 2 others slots belonged to players from PFV and uNs. proA.RuanYuAn proved his worth during this stage of the competition when emerged victorious over ST.xXxhunterxXx in two consecutive games, despite having trailed behind 0-2 at half-time in the second round (he eventually beat him 3-2 in that round).

proA.Akai after winning the semi-finals

The semi-finals came next. As the proArmy PES team had gotten 3 of its players into this stage, many were beginning to expect a finals match between two proArmy players. proA.Akai beat PFV.MeoTom 4-0, 1-4 and 2-0 to gain a slot in final game. In the other match, proA.Xesi triumped over proA.RuanYuAn 2-0 and 4-1, confident of taking the next round. 

The finals felt more like a friendly spar than a high tension match, due to the fact that it was a proArmy vs proArmy matchup. Xesi softly won Akai 1-0 to clinched his next title (the finals was played in the best-of-one-round format).

 The 4 semi finalists (from left to right) TomCat, Xesi, Akai and RuanYuan

Short interview with the champion Hoang ha “proA.Xesi” Le:

Congratulatios on winning the PES VN title again! How are you feeling about it right now?

Xesi: This is the third time that I’ve gotten to play in a finals, and the second time that I’ve emerged as the champion, so I guess I’m feeling a little nostalgia here from my previous experiences. This time however, the PES VN Cup didn’t see too many sufficiently skilled players participate. I tried my best though, and I think that I deserved my win. Which was your most important match in the tournament? Xesi: Hmmm, I think it was the game against uNs|Batigol – my rival opponent from the PES 2008 days. It was the first time that I’ve beaten him haha.

So he was your toughest opponent?

Xesi: For sure! Like I said, This is the only time that I’ve beaten him in an official tournament match.

proA.PES players (from left to right) Akai, Xesi, (unknown) and Ruan Yuan

proA.PES managed to get 3 players into the semi-finals. Do you think that says anything about your team’s condition right now? Xesi: Definitely! This result is a testament to the power of proA.PES at present. It goes to show that we we’ve trained hard and in the right way.
The champion himself, proA.Xesi