Legacy's surprise run at the Esports World Cup continues, being crowned by their biggest victory yet against a Falcons side that looked outclassed throughout the 2-0 series.
Following the match, HLTV spoke to Bruno "latto" Rebelatto about the repeat of the CAC grand final, and got his thoughts on the crucial victory, which saw Legacy move on to the semi-finals.
"Everyone was saying that the first time we beat them was kind of a fluke, right? So to be able to prove that we're also working hard and playing good CS is just incredible. So today was a really special day," latto said.
"We knew they were the favorites, obviously," he went on. "We respect them a lot, but we're not afraid. So we prepared our game plan, worked on the things we had to do, and executed them calmly. So I think that was the preparation."
Moving forward, Legacy will face Vitality or Spirit in the semi-finals, a matchup in which the Brazilian side will once again be seen as the underdogs, latto admitted.
"They'll be the favorites. And we'll have to use that to our advantage. We'll just have to play our game, have the right mindset, stay calm, and if it's meant to be, it'll be."
You can read the full interview below:
Congratulations on the win, latto. A 2-0 victory against the reigning Major champions, and you're through to the semi-finals. How are you feeling?
It feels really good. Everyone was saying that the first time we beat them was kind of a fluke, right? So to be able to prove that we're also working hard and playing good CS is just incredible. So today was a really special day.
You knew coming in that it was going to be a really tough match. They were out for revenge after the loss in Shanghai. How did you prepare?
I think our preparation was the same as it was against NAVI. We knew they were the favorites, obviously. And then, it's just, like… We respect them a lot, but we're not afraid. So we prepared our game plan, worked on the things we had to do, and executed them calmly. So I think that was the preparation. There wasn't anything particularly special about it.
Falcons couldn't even get a single round on the T side. Did you expect a tougher match?
I expected the game to be really, really, really tough. Not that it wasn't. Obviously we had a few rounds there that we won because of individual plays we made. So I don't think the score 100 percent reflects the game. I think it was a tougher game than it seems. I expected it to be, like, really, really, really tough, but it's great that we managed to beat them 2–0. They're a really strong team, and I'm happy about that.
Especially on Mirage, it felt like you were trying to abuse karrigan's bombsites. Was that your strategy?
It was at first, but they read the game better than we did. Because when we started going there on Mirage, they put m0NESY there in every round, and arT said, 'We're going to stick with it; it'll work out eventually.' We couldn't fall into their mindset for the game. So we kept going, kept going, and m0NESY was still there, and we were like, 'Oh my God, Oh my God.' Anyway, they played really well, too. So it was a good read on their part.
try took over the game on the second map. This is still his first event with the team, but his talent is already on display.
He's really good. It's great to play with him. He's really reliable and he helps the team a lot, so it's always really special to play with him. I had already played with him at 00NATION. And playing with him again and seeing that he's more mature now and has a different mindset is even better, because he's an incredible player.
You're now going up against Vitality or Spirit in the semi-finals. You've never faced Spirit before. What are your expectations?
It's going to be a really tough game. We've even joked that we're in the 'Bracket of Death', and yet we're managing to get through it. It's been really something. If I had to pick one team, I'd pick Vitality because they're playing at home, so we'd be playing against the crowd. We've never experienced that, so I'd pick them for that reason.
After wins against NAVI and now Falcons, do you think the team will stay grounded and focused for what's ahead?
I think we have to keep the same mindset. The truth is that we're still going to be the underdogs. They'll be the favorites. And we'll have to use that to our advantage. We'll just have to play our game, have the right mindset, stay calm, and if it's meant to be, it'll be.
And do you dream of winning the title, or would you rather not think about it?
Right now I'm thinking step by step, but if we left here as champions, it would be a dream come true.
Vitality
Dan 'apEX' Madesclaire
Robin 'ropz' Kool
Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut
Shahar 'flameZ' Shushan
William 'mezii' Merriman
Rémy 'XTQZZZ' Quoniam
Bruno 'latto' RebelattoPast 3 months
Falcons
Finn 'karrigan' Andersen
Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač
René 'TeSeS' Madsen
Ilya 'm0NESY' Osipov
Maksim 'kyousuke' Lukin
Danny 'zonic' Sørensen
Spirit
Dmitry 'sh1ro' Sokolov
Boris 'magixx' Vorobiev
Andrey 'tN1R' Tatarinovich
Myroslav 'zont1x' Plakhotia
Danil 'donk' Kryshkovets
Sergey 'hally' Shavaev
Legacy
Andrei 'arT' Piovezan
Eduardo 'dumau' Wolkmer
Bruno 'latto' Rebelatto
Vinicius 'n1ssim' Pereira
Santino 'try' Rigal
Alan 'adrrr' Riveros