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Novo: A1 Adria League is a place where I started my FIFA career

Once again the FIFA champion in A1 Adria League is Tarik “Novo” Novo. He defeated Marko “Mrky2402” Matančić in the finals after five intense matches and took his fourth consecutive title. We talked with Tarik about his title, his expectations, and his impressions, as well as his plans for the future.

First, congratulations on yet another A1 Adria League title. This is your fourth title in a row. What does it feel like to be at the top of the FIFA regional scene for two years now?

Thanks a lot. The feeling is the same as it was in the past seasons. It’s great and I am very proud of this fourth great success.

For the last couple of years, the same players have made the playoffs in A1AL. In which way do you improve and adapt your game in order to win, seeing that you, Brstimir, and Esad know each other well?

I have played many times with Brstimir, and with Esad even more. Because of that, I am familiar with their characteristic moves, but they are familiar with mine as well. It is really hard to play against them and every time I do my best to adapt my gameplay before meeting them.

Mrky made it to the finals in his first A1AL season, and you played all five matches. What is your opinion on your opponent’s gameplay and was it hard to play against him?

All I have to say about Mrky is that he is a great player, and I once again want to congratulate him. He didn’t make it to the top 4 for no reason. Playing against Mrky was very challenging, I think this FIFA suits him well.

You started the group stage with a 0:2 score and secured the playoff spot in the last round of the group stage. Did you make some changes in the playoff, and how do you explain your performance in the group stage, and in the playoffs? 

In the group stage, I didn’t have the team I wanted to play with, and I think that’s the main reason for the bad performance. Namely, I have made the team for the playoffs, and it paid off.

Did you expect to win this title, and will you compete in the 10th season in A1 Adria League as well?

I can’t say that I expected the title, but I was definitely looking forward to it and I gave my best to lift the trophy. A1 Adria League is a place where I started my FIFA career and it is very important to me. Because of that, I will sign up again because it’s a competition where I feel the most comfortable in.

What are your plans right now?

After plenty of competitions I played in the past few months, my plans for the summer are to rest and slowly start preparing for autumn and new tournaments, and hopefully new accomplishments.

Novo and Esad are the last players who secured the top 4!

Last night the last matches of the FIFA22 group stage were played. We had two interesting matchups where four players fought for the last two spots in the A1 Adria League playoffs. In the end, our three-time champion Novo secured the spot in the final 4, as well as esad1memic.

Novo and Esad last to the finish line

Two more players last night secured the wins and will now join Mrky and Brstimir, who had already made it to the FIFA22 playoffs. The first to do so was Novo, who was expected to secure the next stage of A1AL earlier in the competition. As he struggled throughout the first two rounds of the group stage, it took him a while to reach the goal. His opponent was DrPecho who had the most number of points in the qualifiers. The first match led us to extra time where Novo kept his cool and scored a goal after his tiki-taka action right before the final whistle. Novo opened the second match with a quick goal, but Pecho bounced back and made sure they go to extra time again. In the end, penalties decided our 3rd player in the final 4. They both read each other shots pretty well, but the final result on penalties was 3-2 in Novo’s favor.

The last spot was to be secured by either Esad or Jero. As usual, Esad started with his attacking football right from the beginning, ending his attacks with his signature “chip shot” technique. In the second match, he was a way better player on the pitch, and he secured his 3-2 win with ease. He dominated the third match as well and keep his legacy of reaching the top 4 in every A1 Adria League season he played. With this win, Esad secured himself a chance to fight for 1750$ prize pool 2 weeks from now!

Mrky, Brstimir, Novo, and Esad are the top 4 FIFA22 players in the ninth season of the A1 Adria League! Can anyone dethrone Novo, or is he coming for the title once again?

FIFA22 standings

Brstimir defeats Jero and advances to the FIFA22 playoffs!

Yet another FIFA22 round is behind us. Some great matches have been played last night, and we have seen an intense and fierce competition. A1 Adria League is continuing to host this game, and every year more and more talented players are showing what they can do in this competition. After Mrky, another player makes the cut and secures the playoff. brstimir with an overall score of 3:1 is now safe in the top 4.

brstimir expectedly joins Mrky in the playoffs

The first match of this round was played between our three-time champion Novo and esad1memic. They are both familiar players and they have faced each other too many times now. Novo seemed to find a way to adapt to the new playstyle of his opponent quicker, and without much problem he easily outclassed Esad. Winning 2-0 in the first match, and filling Esad’s net to the top in the second match with 4-0 as a final result. Both players are set to find their way to the final 4 next week since they both stand at a 2-2 score now.

The second match was a fight for survival in the league. Both JasikFIFA and DrPecho had the same score of 1:2 and a win here meant everything. Pecho kept his cool all the time, and he even almost walked the ball into the net of his opponent a few times. In the end, he secured himself another appearance on our stream next week where he will face Novo for a final chance to sneak into the top 4. On the other side, this is where we say goodbye to Jasik who is eliminated from the competition.

brstimir in the last match of the day showed he deserved the spot in the playoffs since the competition started. Before Mrky took him down last round, he hadn’t lost a game. And now with a win over Jero, he got what he rightfully deserved. Is this his season maybe? He seems very confident with a playstyle that differs from all the other players, with abusing player lock and the newest meta techniques that are very hard to master. On the other side, Jero will also have one more chance next week. If he manages to secure the spot in the playoffs it will be his first ever in the A1 Adria League.

FIFA22 standings

Brstimir takes another win; Novo still winless

Last week we have had many exciting matches in this season’s FIFA competition. The first round of FIFA22 in A1 Adria League had an amazing start, as we have seen brstimir took down Novo, the three-time champion. While rookies like Jero debuted in the league. Yesterday the second round of the group stage was played, and it wasn’t any less interesting.

Brstimir, Mrky2402, and esad1memic defeatless

Last night we saw another surprising playday in the FIFA22 competition. Round 2 in the group stage opened esad1memic and Encika, two Bosnian players. Esad already secured his first win last week, and he was looking good before this match. The match itself started patiently. Esad waited until the 70th minute to score his first goal. And he kept the lead until the end. In the second match, Esad opened a bit more brave, and he scored 3 goals quickly, putting himself in a great position before the next round.

In the second match played between Serbian player brstimir and Pecho, who both had a 1:0 lead from the previous week, brstimir still was a slight favorite seeing he took down the three-time champion Novo in the first round. In yesterday’s game, both players took one win for themselves, while the third and deciding one went into the hand of brstimir, who is showing great performance and becoming a huge favorite for winning the whole championship.

The third match of the day was played between our vice-champion from season 5 JasikFIFA and our newcomer Mrky2402. Mrky totally dominated in the first match showing no emotions on our screen whatsoever. And we know it was not because he is shy in front of the camera. It was because he knows what JasikFIFA is capable of and that he might come back into this match. The second match produced a ton of fun for our viewers. JasikFIFA took the lead 2 times, but it was not enough to get away from Mrky’s offensive abilities. It was extra time that decided the winner. Mrky scored in the 114th minute for his second win of the day. This puts him in a very good position for the next week, where he might be our first player in the final 4 if he manages to beat brstimir. Which isn’t going to be an easy task.

The last pair was Novo versus the rookie of the season Jero. Novo came in as a clear favorite, even though he lost in the first round, he has a lot more experience than his opponent. But as Jero didn’t have anything to lose in this game, he gave his all, and in the end, it was worth it. He managed to win against the three-time champion of A1AL, and show that Novo’s form is not as strong as before.

FIFA22 standings

Brstimir took down Novo in the first round of the group stage!

The group stage of the A1 Adria League finally started, and first on the schedule was FIFA22. The qualifiers were one of the most interesting and intense ever, and the group stage started in the same matter. At the very beginning, we have seen two of the favorites clash against each other, but the other three matches were exciting as well. This is also the first time this season that we could actually see the reactions of the players via their cameras on stream.

Brstimir takes the edge after day 1

Today we have seen four very interesting matches, and it all started with the battle between Petar “DrPecho” Susnjar who finished first after qualifiers, and the last place Enes “Encika” Hodzic. Even though Ecnika said he had already accomplished his goal, he showed today he isn’t done. In the end, the winner was expected, it was DrPecho who defeated his opponent with a 2:0 score.

One of the most anticipated matches was between the three-time champion Tarik “Novo” Novo and Miloš “brstimir” Majdevac. It was final before final, and their rivalry resurfaced tonight once again. Novo however couldn’t prove his legacy this time, and it was brstimir who, with patience and skill, secured a very important win today. With a 2:0 score, brstimir put himself in a great position after the first round of the group stage.

The third matchup of the day was between two Bosnian players, JasikFIFA and esad1memic. The first match was decided by the penalties. Penalties are Esad’s strong suit, but JasikFIFA probably knows him too well, and he easily read his cheeky panenka attempts. The second match gave us 7 fantastic goals to see. But it was Jasik who won 4-3. His passion and happiness were very visible on the screens, and he went 2:0 in the end.

Last but not least we have seen Marko “Mrky2402” Matancic take on rookie of the season Karlo “Jero” Jerkin. Mrky2402 came into this match a clear favorite and he justified this role. He was dominant against Jero, but seeing this was Jero’s first game on stream, he might need some time getting used to it. It’s only the first round, and nothing is over yet.

FIFA22 first round of group stage standings

The next round will be played next week, on May 13th.

Stevan Mačkić: The viewers can expect big surprises!

We witnessed an interesting four qualifiers in FIFA22 this season. The group stage in A1 Adria League is starting soon, and the competition has never been more intense. Before the beginning of the SWISS group stage, we talked with a well-known FIFA caster Stevan Mačkić about the qualifiers, this year’s competition, his expectations, and more.

Last season FIFA22 was a brand new game. How different is it this season?

The transition from PS4 to PS5 included the transition to Hypermotion, and the difference is noticeable but difficulties exist every year and the players are adapting over and over again. The autumn season is always challenging for players in A1 Adria League because it comes at the transition from one to the other game, and they (the players) SWISS style part of the league play with new teams, but I think the quality always comes to the surface.

This season’s qualifiers were one of the most intense ones ever. We didn’t know who was going to advance up until the last qualifiers cup. What does this tell you about this year’s competition?

It is enough to point out the fact that for the winner of the second qualifier Luka, not even 100 points was enough for him to advance to the SWISS stage, and it’s clear about what kind of competition we are talking about. The bar has been raised to the next level and to enter the league stage is not enough for you to shine in one qualifier, but to constantly play well and earn points from week to week.

Many familiar names made their way to the group stage. Who do you expect to see in the finals? 

As a caster, I must remain impartial and objective. All I’ll say is that the viewers can expect big surprises.

FIFA Stevan Mačkić

What do you think about Amke’s performance in the qualifiers, seeing that he didn’t manage to win a single cup but still advanced to the next stage as the second seed?

I have always seen Amke as one of the most talented Balkanian players. The three consecutive titles in A1 Adria League prove that. Do I agree with everything he did and wrote after the sixth, seventh, and especially the eighth season, that’s a completely different question. In the ninth season maybe Amke had a slightly weaker start, but I have never doubted that he will be able to adapt to the gameplay and secure his spot in the top 8.

Do you think that someone can dethrone Amke, or the championship is his once again?

Amke’s confidence is on a high level, after the eighth season’s finale he himself pointed out that it was “the easiest ever A1 Adria League title to win”. Is he going to effortlessly win another title in the ninth season we will find out in the next month.

The ninth season finals will be broadcasted as a part of Reboot Online Games Week in Osijek. What is your experience from the finals last year, and are you looking forward to the one in Osijek? 

After the one in Zagreb in June last year I thought it can’t get any better than this, but then in Šibenik, I received the stage and studio which can compete with the production of FIFA Global Series tournaments. I am convinced that the management of the league led by Leonardo and Marijana will exceed expectations once again and that all of us from the FIFA Balkan Community will provide the audience with the best experience that the regional scene can offer at the moment. I would also like to thank our tournament admins Maid Korić and Tarik Gagula for taking care that every week everything goes well during the preliminary phase of the qualification tournaments. Regarding us casters, Mole and I are ready and we can’t wait for the beginning of the SWISS stage.

 

Pecho took down amke2001 in the final FIFA22 qualifier!

The most dramatic FIFA22 qualifier is completed. After four qualifiers the best eight FIFA22 players of this season will enter A1 Adria League and compete in the SWISS group stage. Pecho was the one who came out victorious after the last qualifier, which also provided him the first place overall.

Pecho bested the three-time champion

Knowing that a win today might put anyone in the top 8, slots were full once again! The fact that nobody managed to secure their spot until the last qualifier got every single player to shift into their upper gear, which ended in the most dramatic FIFA qualifier we have seen in recent years.

The surprise of the day was the relegation of the two experienced and well-known players Miloš “brstimir” Majdevac and Esad “esad1memic” Memic. They didn’t manage to get past round 3 today, but luckily they had already gathered enough points from previous qualifiers, to secure their spot in the group stage. The rookie Karlo “Jero” Jerkin went only one step more through the bracket and also secured himself some screen time in the next stage of A1AL. Another rookie from these qualifiers Zizou who came on top in the second qualifier, unfortunately, didn’t have enough points to secure the group stage.

Our three-time champion Tarik “amke2001” Novo took this qualifier more seriously than those before. He cruised through the bottom side of the bracket with ease. Just like it was expected from him from the start of the new season. His enemy in the final would be Petar “Pecho” Susnjar who dominated the other side of the bracket.

Even before the final started, both players had reached enough points to secure first and second place, so they focused on making a statement for the future. Amke2001 took down the first match, while Pecho clutched in the 120. minute in the second game of the finals. The third game was a dominant one for Pecho who didn’t let amke2001 score once, ending the match with an easy 2:0 win.

FIFA22 last qualifier standings

In the end, all the players who were expected to win and ensure their place in the group stage did. It was a very close and intense competition from the start, which can be seen in the final standings.

The players will take a short deserved break after such fierce battles, and prepare for the group stage which will commence on May 6th.