NAVI player Justinas "jL" Lekavicius shared his emotions following their victory at the recent ESL Pro League Season 20 championship. In an interview with HLTV.org, the Lithuanian esports athlete admitted he did not expect the match against Eternal Fire, which ended 3-2 in favour of NAVI, to be so challenging.
"It's an amazing feeling. It was a tough battle; I expected the game to be different, and I don’t think we performed at 100%. However, it wasn’t just about us; Eternal Fire played exceptionally well and were well-prepared. Their fans were also very loud and supportive, which I believe helped them a lot. Despite this, I’m still happy with the victory."
Lekavicius also commented on receiving the MVP award. He noted that he performed well throughout the tournament but struggled under pressure in the final.
"I think leading up to the final, my performance was at an MVP level, but then something went wrong, and I need to figure that out myself. I felt like I was making a lot of mistakes, which is unusual for me. I need to work through that. Additionally, I'm very grateful for my team's support; they were with me, and we pushed through to victory together."
The ESL Pro League Season 20 took place from 3rd to 22nd September in Malta, featuring 32 teams. The total prize pool for the tournament was $750,000, with the group stage following a GSL format and the playoffs conducted as a Single Elimination.