Great crowd watch battle of nerves at the TSG eChampion

The final between Ekrem Dogan and Dennis Erdmann, who won the second TSG Fan eCup in March, proved to be a battle of nerves. Following a 1-1 draw, the match went first to extra-time and then to a penalty shootout, where the lead repeatedly changed hands. But it was Ekrem who was celebrating after 12 penalties in total, having scored first himself and then saved Dennis’ sixth spot-kick. He was thus rewarded for a strong performance at the tournament and can now call himself the 2023 TSG eChampion. “Honestly, I can’t quite believe it yet,” said the new TSG eChampion during the award ceremony at the PreZero Arena. “The penalty shootout was of course a 50-50.”

Dennis had previously enjoyed the upper hand but could hardly manage to break down Ekrem’s five-man defence. A lovely switch pass over to the left flank brought about the opening goal for Dennis on the follow-up (30). Ekrem levelled before the interval, playing a through-ball through the middle before firing into the far corner to make it 1-1 (44). Both players subsequently impressed with strong defensive work and clever positional play. Ekrem had the best chance to grab a winner in extra time, but his shot sailed narrowly past the upright (94).

TSG eSPORTS scouts among the attendees

Ekrem had already been taken to extra-time in the semi-final, where he eventually claimed a 2-1 (1-1) victory over Luan Waldleitner. “Of course, you have a traumatic experience like that and think: please not again,” said Ekrem after reaching the final. He had previously been eliminated from last year’s TSG eChampion at the semi-final stage. Dennis reached the final by beating Jendrik Lausen 2-0 (0-0).

Ekrem & Co. not only earned themselves valuable prizes through their performances, but may also be granted the chance of a lifetime: the TSG eSports scouts were among the attendees at the offline event and put the players’ sporting qualities as well as their personal ones under the microscope. Those who impressed in both categories will get the chance to wear the TSG eSports jersey next season.

High-value prizes for the top eight

Ekrem received a TSG eSports bundle – consisting of a TSG eSports gaming chair, a €200 shopping voucher at our partner LIDL and an individual TSG FUT card plus a medal and a trophy with a goods value of around €1000 – for winning the tournament. As the runner-up, Dennis received a €100 LIDL shopping voucher, an individual TSG FUT card, an FC24 voucher and a medal (goods value: €250). Third place went to Luan, who beat Jendrik 5-2 after penalties and received a TSG eSports shirt, an individual TSG FUT card and also a medal (goods value: €100). Places four to eight each received a TSG Hoffenheim fan package.

This season was the second time that a TSG eChampion has been sought. Male and female players were able to qualify throughout the course of the season via different paths, including the TSG Fan eCup and the TSG Fan Matches. Romeo ‘Romeo_439’ Rissling claimed the title last season and was subsequently awarded a place in the TSG eSports squad.