Chinese victory marks another big step for esports

It was the third world title won by a team from China's League of Legends Pro League－the LPL－the nation's leading professional division in the sport. Invictus Gaming won the championship for LPL in 2018 and FunPlus Phoenix in 2019.

EDG's victory quickly went viral on Chinese social media. Of the top 10 topics trending on Sina Weibo on the night the club won the title, five were related to the final.

On Friday, EDG player Tian Ye, 23, also known as Meiko, said during an interview with China Daily on Sina Weibo, which attracted 3 million viewers: "We never expected such huge support from the fans. Many people know about esports and support us, which is really surprising."

"I think we had so much support because DK was the defending champion and appeared to be stronger than us."

As it was the first time EDG had reached the League of Legends World Championship final, the players were understandably nervous.

Tian added: "Our coach had faith in us. We believed in ourselves after our performances in previous matches and training sessions. Instead of putting too much pressure on ourselves, we remained positive.

"We've had many hard matches this season, so we've become experienced in dealing with tough situations. As long as there's still a chance in a match, we remain very calm. Our coach also helps us to quickly adjust our mindset and tactics.

"Many fans and our families made videos to support us before the final, which helped boost our confidence. We were both excited and nervous ... Our mentality was extremely good during matches, especially when we faced tough situations. It felt unbelievable to be in the final－something I never expected."