Team Falcons defeated
Gentle Mates on Thursday in the group stage of the
Rocket League Esports World Cup, thereby qualifying for the playoffs and sending M8 to the lower bracket, where they will face the winner of the match between Wildcard and MIBR.LOS.
Following a 3-2 victory in which Falcons nearly suffered a reverse sweep, Samy “dralii” Hajji sat down with us for an interview, discussing his team’s missed Majors, his adaptation to Falcons, his relationship with the twin brothers and Morocco’s chances at Esports Nations Cup without Nassim "nass" Bali.
What do you think of the team's performance today?
Samy "dralii" Hajji: “We were very strong. The last time we played against Gentle Mates, we lost. It was very close too, so I'm proud of what we did.
It's Falcons' return to the international scene after missing the Major. Did you manage to identify what didn't work during the three Opens?
Dralii: Yes, we've been working on it for a few months, every day. We've improved a lot on the problems we had. They were pretty major problems, but now that we've gotten rid of them, we're a lot more free and we have a lot more power in the game.
Has the fact that Falcons have been challenged by other teams been a sign that the MENA region is even stronger than in previous years?
Dralii: Yes. In my opinion, in terms of pure level, the MENA region is top two. There's just Europe above it. But I think that in MENA, the top three or even the top four is better than NA's.
How did you deal with the fact that you didn't make it to the Paris Major?
Dralii: Obviously, it was a bit shocking. It's the first time I've missed a tournament like this, same for my teammates, but it happens. It even happened at KC (Karmine Corp) two years ago. We were a bit shocked, but we know that the season isn't over. It's not the end of the world, it's just a bit shocking.
Did you change your way of working a lot after what happened in the Opens?
Dralii: We didn't really change our way of working. We just did scrims. But the fact that we lost and didn't qualify for the Major really woke us up and allowed us to work even harder.
What's the level of Falcons today compared to Falcons three months ago?
Dralii: If today's Falcons played against Falcons from three months ago, or even two months ago, today's Falcons would sweep them.
We saw TSM beat NRG, and Spacestation Gaming sweep KC. What do you think about the upsets we've seen in this tournament?
Dralii: It's surprising that SSG swept KC, but SSG are a very good team. I would say that the sweep is more surprising than the fact that they beat KC. I didn't know that NRG had lost against TSM. It's very surprising. This year, we've seen them let loose a bit, so it's not very surprising.
Falcons are also playing for the Global Championship. Do you talk about it a lot within the club? To what extent is it present for you?
Dralii: As competitors, we mainly think about ourselves first, but we have the Club Championship in the back of our minds.
It's not something you talk about with management?
Dralii: No, it's not something we talk about. We all know that our goal is to win, so whether we think about it or not, it doesn't change our performance.
In that sense, would a game against Team Vitality be special for you?
Dralii: It's not a very special game in the sense that it's not a ‘classico’ for me. It's more against Twisted Minds. But they're a very good team. It's like against Gentle Mates today. They're a very good team and you have to be careful against them.
It's been a year since you joined Falcons. How did you manage to integrate? What place do you have alongside the brother duo?
Dralii: At Falcons, honestly, I didn't have a lot of difficulties integrating. For me, it's exactly the same as with the French, because even when I was at KC or Team BDS, I’m French. I didn't really live in France, I didn't grow up there, I don't have a French DNA. So when I joined the Saudis, it was a bit the same thing for me in terms of adaptation and integration. There was no real difference, it was easy. And I get along well with my teammates today.
The fact that they're brothers, and twins, hasn't changed anything?
Dralii: No. The fact that they're twins, I find it funny, that's all. Nothing more.
You just faced nass, who won't play with Morocco at the Esports Nations Cup. To what extent will his absence hurt Morocco at the ENC?
Dralii: Obviously, Nass is a very important asset, so I would have liked to play with him. But yeah, I'll have to play with two players who are a little less experienced than him. We'll see, I don't know what it's going to be like, but that's it.”
