"We could have won 4–0" — KC Juicy after dismantling Gentle Mates

The most anticipated match of Saturday at the Rocket League Paris Major did not leave much room for suspense. In front of a crowd in full voice at La Défense Arena, Karmine Corp dismantled Gentle Mates 4–1 to secure their place in the final four of the competition.

A few minutes after the match, Charles “juicy” Sabiani reflected on the series. The French player also looked ahead to the rest of the tournament and shared his feelings about his integration within KC.

Charles “juicy” Sabiani: “I’m happy. Honestly, I think we could have won 4–0. The game we lost, I think all of us could have played better individually. Even when we lose a game, we still have that killer instinct, we never become defeatist. We clutched up, we played well, so I’m satisfied.

Juicy: Honestly, in the first two games they barely played. I felt like they were a bit scared to commit. Then in game three they started flying around, ball chasing, demo chasing and all that. After that, in games four and five, we adapted well, defended well, and attacked well too. We had some good demos.

Juicy: No, I think we’re just playing at our normal level at this Major. We’ve steadily improved throughout the year. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t win more Regionals and so on, but honestly that’s not the point. I’d say we played well. Like I said, in game three we all could have done much better. But aside from that, we played well, and honestly M8 also played pretty well after the first two games.

Juicy: Yes, top one.

Juicy: We don’t care. Whether we’re top one, top two, top five or top sixteen, it doesn’t matter. We want to win, and we want to prove to everyone that we’re the best team in the world.

Juicy: Honestly, I don’t think Shopify Rebellion are that strong. And City, I think they’re solid. They’re having a good Major. They’re playing well and they beat NRG. I don’t know whether NRG were really in form, but City are playing well right now. So I’d say City win, honestly.

Juicy: Shopify for a free win.

Juicy: “Stop shitting yourselves”. Honestly, from the moment we entered that best-of, you could feel we weren’t playing our game, we weren’t doing the things we usually do. Even after the timeout there was still a bit of hesitation, a bit of restraint. But after the Vitality match, honestly, there was nothing left to say. Wildcard, I don’t really count because they were trolling and not really playing seriously. The main thing was just: “stop shitting yourselves”.

Juicy: I feel good. Honestly, the atmosphere is great, we have fun together both in and outside the game. When it’s time to work, we’re serious, we grind, we give everything. I really don’t have much to complain about, things are going very well for us right now.

Juicy: First of all, seeing the KC fans — we had a fan session yesterday — it feels amazing. During the games, especially against M8, you could see them screaming, jumping, giving everything. Honestly, it’s incredible to see so many French fans supporting us, or even shouting against us. And having my family here also means a lot.

Juicy: For us, I know we stayed calm and composed. For M8, I don’t know, but I’d say maybe they felt a lot of pressure. They’ve won Regionals, they’ve won a Major, and they want the back-to-back. I don’t think they’ll openly say it, but I think there’s definitely some pressure there. Wanting to achieve the back-to-back, at home, in front of your fans — I think that adds extra pressure. So yes, I think it affected them.

Juicy: This split, apart from the first Regional that we won, they beat us several times. And honestly, we also weren’t in great form at times. So this was a match where we told ourselves: guys, if we win this one, we prove to everyone that we’re the best team in the world. Even for ourselves, it feels good to win matches like this when we’ve struggled against them all season.

Juicy: It feels great to play in Paris again. We’ll have the fans behind us once more, maybe even the KC ultras. I can’t wait.”