G2 Esports fell short on the opening day of the Worlds 2025 Swiss Stage, losing to Top Esports in their debut match. Despite the setback, the reigning champions of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) must stay resilient as they prepare for a rematch against their regional counterparts, Movistar KOI. In an exclusive interview, G2 support Labros “Labrov” Papoutsakis sat down with Sheep Esports to discuss the loss, wavering faith in European teams, and his goals for the tournament.

How did you feel about how the match went, and what do you think went wrong for G2?

Labros “Labrov” Papoutsakis: “The game felt kind of one-sided. Top Esports played very well. We messed up our plan, and they dove us bot again and again, which caused the game to snowball from there. Once we fall behind against their champions, it becomes really hard to play. I still feel we didn’t show the true face of G2 in this game, and I just want to bounce back in the next one.

Why do you think G2 couldn’t show their true form today? Was it an issue with preparation, the read on Top Esports, or just in-game mistakes that snowballed?

Labrov: I would say a mix of everything, to be honest. Top Esports played very well and kept pressuring once they had the lead. We messed up the swap game, and it’s hard to find comebacks in this kind of game once we’re behind. After we died on top, the game was kind of GG. I’m still confident we can bounce back in the upcoming games.

What lessons did you take from this match, and what would you have done differently if you had a second chance?

Labrov: I feel like I messed up the lane swap a bit. I would have done some things differently that would’ve made it harder for them to dive bot, at least the first time. I need to rewatch the game, but I think Xayah and Rakan should’ve matched Yunara and Karma afterwards; otherwise, they would just dive the Sion again. Those two are the biggest lessons from this game for sure. And then maybe we can also rethink our plan in terms of draft if we want to change something for the next games.

All three LEC teams lost today, making Europe the only winless region on day one. What do you think Europe needs to start getting those wins?

Labrov: Yeah I mean, it's just day one—it was a bit unfortunate—but I still think we can do well at this Worlds. Let’s not overreact yet, boys. Just have some belief; we can make it happen.

So, you’re saying Europe isn’t as bad as people might think?

Labrov: I think so. Let’s just wait a couple more days, and then people can say we’re shit. BLG also lost—it doesn’t mean they’re shit, for example. It’s just the format. I just want to play more and prove people wrong.

This is your second time at Worlds. How has the experience in China been for you, and how are you handling it now compared to before?

Labrov: China has been very nice so far—very, very different compared to Europe. Throughout the year, I’ve grown a lot as a person and learned how to adapt to new environments better than before. Also, playing at Worlds with BDS gave me some experience that I needed. I feel confident I can show good performances at this Worlds.

What’s the biggest difference between your Worlds experience with BDS and now with G2?

Labrov: When we went with BDS, it was the first time going to Worlds for nearly all our players, besides Adam (Adam Maanane). Everything was new for us, and we didn’t really know what to expect from ourselves—we were just happy to be there. The main difference now is that G2 is here every year and always competes against Asian teams. We expect from ourselves to do well and make it out of Swiss at least. I want to do well and represent Europe properly, so that’s the biggest difference for sure.

With all the expectations of representing G2 and Europe, do you feel any stress, or are you able to stay calm and focused when on stage?

Labrov: When I’m on stage, I don’t really think about it. I was actually feeling quite well going into the match today. Sadly, I couldn’t translate that into my performance, but I still think this game didn’t represent our true potential. I’m just excited for the next games. Luckily, we have a few more to play, and I truly believe we can do it.

Is there any specific team or support player you’d like to face in the next rounds?

Labrov: I would like to play against Keria (Ryu Min-seok) and ON (Luo Wen-Jun). These two supports are the best right now. Besides that, I just want to get out of Swiss—that should be our goal, one step at a time. So I don’t really care who we play against; we just need to have a good plan and play well.

Steven "Hans Sama" Liv mentioned that you’ve been pushing your limits more as a bot lane. Do you feel that you two are among the top botlanes at Worlds?

Labrov: Hans and I can match and win against the best botlanes here at Worlds. We didn’t even lane together this game, sadly, but if we are having a good game, we can win against everyone basically—and hopefully, we’ll show it at Worlds.

Do you hope Riot Games will eventually remove lane swaps from the game?

Labrov: Yeah, that would be nice. This swap is very unique, and we messed up a lot last game. The game definitely felt harder because of that. But yeah, we just need to have better plans and make better decisions for the next games.

Do you have any words of hope or messages for the fans after this rough start for Europe at Worlds?

Labrov: Obviously, day one didn’t go well for Europe. But as I said, it’s BO1—it was just a bad day. Don’t lose your hope yet. I truly believe we can do well at this Worlds, so just keep having some hopium for the next days.”