The favourite to win the Six Invitational 2023 had been w7m esports from the very beginning. Even before the tournament began, the Brazilians had been the favourite pick of fans, analysts, and other Siege professional players to win it all.
But on the third day in Place Bell, the G2 Esports samurai turned bullfighters and took w7m down in 5-7, 7-2, 7-4, 8-6 fashion.
In a post-match interview, w7m captain Julio "JULIO" Giacomelli was naturally disappointed that his team lost, but he had no regrets regarding their performance.
“I think we were really calm, like we tried everything so it was not like we were afraid to play,” said JULIO of his team’s grand-final performance.
He went on to praise G2 for playing like a team should in a match like the Six Invitational grand-final, having been part of such a team in 2021.
The only map w7m won was their own map pick -- Clubhouse -- and even then it was a close 7-5 victory. G2’s response on their pick of Bank was then brutal -- a 7-2.
“Us and G2 knew that Clubhouse we were gonna win,” said JULIO. “(We also knew) they’re better on Bank, but, like, it’s a best-of-five (so we) need to play (it).”
On Kafe, where he felt that his team stood a chance at taking the lead, he said that G2 just “[played] better” in terms of the “little details”. One of those little details was visible to even spectators when Jack "Doki" Robertson was able to play a reckless position on Kafe and still walk away with four kills.
“They play Lion, Dokkaebi… Benja, like, downstairs,” elaborated JULIO. “So the communications got a little… (hectic). But (we lost) not because our communication was bad.”
That ability to sow the seeds of confusion -- even if mild -- and avoid facing the same issues on the biggest stage in Siege was what JULIO said helped G2 win the title despite the “crowd” and “all the nerves”.
Today’s loss swings the balance of head-to-head Six Invitational eliminations between JULIO and G2 coach Fabian "Fabian" Hällsten in Fabian’s favour, 2-1. This comes after Fabian eliminated JULIO at the Six Invitational 2018 and JULIO repaid the favour in 2020.
“Man, I love Fabian. You know, he’s the OG,” began JULIO. “This time he said, ‘no matter what happens, let’s switch jerseys and have a good talk’.”
Both he and Fabian have been playing competitive Siege since 2016 and have seen their careers ebb and flow. And like Fabian now, JULIO briefly found himself coaching -- FURIA Esports -- in Stage 2 last year.
“As a coach, man it’s… I was a coach one season, it’s hard to be a coach!” he continued. “I respect him a lot and man, he really deserves it. For me, he is the GOAT.”