Umzansi Esports League Season 3 Week 4 Recap
The fourth match week of the Umzansi Esports League played out over the weekend with some intriguing results from the play.
Day 1
The action began with a very important matchup between some of the younger players in the league, with “Yvng_Savage†taking on “Bobo_Beast†in a match that had very high stakes for the players. “Yvng_Savage†could find himself going into the top four on the back of a win, whilst “Bobo_Beast†would be looking to grab his first win of league thus far.
Leg 1
The game unfolded with “Yvng_Savage†pressing the attack very early on in the first leg of the tie.
Able to successfully pressure “Bobo_Beast†into having to play almost entirely in his own final third, it allowed him to build up the play, and then find himself in the box dribbling past the defenders to slot in the opening goal with Joshua Kimmich at 25 minutes. This pressure would continue at this same pace until a second goal was slotted in by “Yvng_Savage†shortly thereafter.
Now playing very much on the backfoot, “Bobo_Beast†was able to recover his composure and began playing the game with a much keener awareness of the attack coming his way. This adaptation paid off for him as he went on to prevent further goals from being conceded. This also allowed him to be the one that played with attack in mind, with the rest of the game almost begging for a goal from him, though the goal would not come in this game, ending the leg 2-0 in favour of “Yvng_Savageâ€.
Leg 2
The second leg unfolded with very similar dynamics to the fist one. Incredible early pressure and attack coming in which completely overwhelmed one player, with early goals secured by the attacking player. This time around though, it was “Bobo_Beast†continuing the pressure he had mounted towards the end of the first leg, who secured the much-needed goals.
Now with the game being brought back to level, “Bobo_Beast†was still the player engaging more aggressively with the game and searching for a goal that would put him ahead for the first time in the contest.
Unfortunately for him, “Yvng_Savage†wasn’t resting on his laurels the entire time and was also learning and adapting to his opponent. Going into the second half of the leg, “Yvng_Savage†would slowly build up passes which got him farther up the pitch. Playing deliberately, he literally dribbled every defender in the box, and shot in a cracker which would yet again put his nose in front. Unfortunately for “Bobo_Beastâ€, it seemed that this particular style of play would be enough to break him again, as a very similar goal took place not long afterwards putting the young Goliath Gaming star ahead by two goals once more.
Now desperate, “Bobo_Beast†would play as aggressively as possible to try claw back at least another draw. With a lot of effort, he would be able to find a beautiful volley that allowed him to score a crucial goal. Unfortunately, that goal would come at the 86-minute mark so would be too late to affect the outcome of the game, losing the game and the tie for “Bobo_Beastâ€.
“Yvng_Savage†would find himself in the top four from this result, whilst his opponent would still continue to languish in the bottom half of the league.
Day 2
The second day of proceedings would have a somewhat flagging “Mobizilla†taking on the resurgent “TheBeastBianchiâ€. Similar to the day before, “Mobizilla†was searching for his first win in the league at this point. Whilst for “TheBeastBianchiâ€, victory here would take him clearly to the top of the table.
Leg 1
Things kicked off with a very slow start to the game, as both players were probing one another to find weaknesses, with “TheBeastBianchi†spending most of the early half on the ball looking for a way through the defence.
Eventually though, “Mobizilla†was able to turn over possession, and burst into an attacking run that took him into the final third with a run-on Messi. Looking for a searching ball into the box, instead of finding his own forwards, the ball luckily bounced off of the defender of “TheBeastBianchi†and found its way into the net.
Buoyed with an opening goal, “Mobizilla†was able to control the majority of the game from here on out. Though unable to score during that time, he made sure to keep advantages in both possession and defensive shape. Eventually, in the dying minutes of the game, he was able to find another run with a lot of space, this time able to chip the ball over the keeper to secure a second goal and a 2-0 lead in the series.
Leg 2
“Mobizilla†with the lead was looking to close this one out. However “TheBeastBianchi†started the game already showing that he was intent on perpetual attack to try force an early goal. Although defending very well, a critical mistake from “Mobizilla†turned over possession and now the attack was suddenly on, with several players in open space. From this position, “TheBeastBianchi†would never squander this opportunity and would get an opening goal with some clinical finishing with Nani.
Although “Mobizilla†would still be ahead at this point, now blood was smelled and the beast unleashed.
Almost complete control of the game would be demonstrated by “TheBeastBianchi†as he then began chasing the deficit. Looking like a transformed player from the first leg, he began to make aggressive runs at almost every opportunity whilst keeping a very high line, keeping “Mobizilla†away from doing anything progressive on the ball. As two more goals went into the back of the net without any answer from “Mobizillaâ€, the game would go into it’s final stages where the “TheBeastBianchi†would score a cracker of a fourth goal to bury his opponent for good, and secure the 4-0 win here, and a 4-2 win in the series.
With this win, “TheBeastBianchi†would find himself with a third win and at the top of the table.
Day 3
A titanic tie would see “Deevak†taking on “Unfaizdd†in a game with major ramifications for the league standings. Should “Deevak†win, he would knock “Yvng_Savage†off fourth place in the standings, and a loss for him would put “Unfaizdd†on top of the league tied for first place. With only a few weeks of league play left, this was all-important game.
Leg 1
Over the course of the Umzansi leagues, “Deevak†had become known as a marksman of note which he displayed in short order at the beginning of the game. At the 9-minute mark, he found himself in space with Pele, and with amazing confidence would dribble and step-over past several defenders before taking an impossible shot that curled into the net.
One could be forgiven for thinking that the goal only happened because “Unfaizdd†was still slow off the mark, and the Goliath Gaming man was able to play in such a way to seemingly confirm this by defending in depth and numbers against “Deevakâ€. The Bravado Gaming player would not be deterred though, as he found a goal just before halftime to double the scoreline.
As the game progressed, “Deevak†would double this scoreline again by overwhelming “Unfaizdd†and his defence, slotting in two goals in the second half. With the game all but confirmed, we did still get to see why he was capable of winning a season of the league, as “Unfaizdd†scored an amazing goal to deny “Deevak†a clean sheet, and giving himself an all needed goal to go into the second leg.
Leg 2
As things began for the final leg of the tie, “Unfaizdd†was able to feed “Deevak†some of his own medicine by scoring a quick 10-minute goal to open proceedings. He then quickly doubled down by slotting in another and shaving the lead enjoyed by “Deevak†to only two goals, making the Bravado star very uncomfortable.
The discomfort of the game would come to affect “Unfaizdd†first however, as during an attack from his opponent, he accidently passed the ball directly back to the attackers instead of being able to clear his lines and get the ball into a safe part of the pitch. As mentioned, “Deevak†is an incredible marksman and opportunities like this he eats for breakfast. Easily slotting the goal into the back of the net, he restored a three goal advantage and would be much more comfortable in the new state of the game.
Just before halftime, “Unfaizdd†was able to once more bring the deficit down to two goals, but still would have much work to do in the final half of the tie.
The tension was very high starting the half, but would be cut first by “Deevakâ€, as he was able to slice through his opponent’s defence on his way to securing a sixth goal for the tie. Being quite incisive on his passing and interceptions, “Deevak†was looking a perfect style matchup to “Unfaizddâ€, which the former champion realized by switching up his style of play and attack.
Spending much more time trying to dribble his way out instead of his signature long balls, this allowed “Unfaizdd†to slow down the game which proved to be the key he needed to start breaking down “Deevakâ€. With this newfound strategy, it paid off by netting him a goal late into the second half. Now feeling confident in this style, and with “Deevak†not being able to adapt fully, he was able to slot in another goal, bringing the tally to 5-6 and his deficit down to one.
Unfortunately, the mistake early in the second leg would prove decisive as “Unfaizdd†was unable to find another goal, thus ending the tie with a victory for “Deevakâ€. As a bonus reward for his efforts, “Deevak†would also knock his opponent into fourth place in the league as he slotted into the top three of the league standings.
Having just reached the halfway mark, the Umzansi Esports League will continue on Friday with match week five on the Nodwin Gaming Youtube channel.
