This article is part of our Soccer Recap series.
In a tournament that saw many of the favorites fall in Day 1, Day 2 was rife with intrigue as the remaining eight players battled for the chance to be crowned 2017 FIFA Ultimate Team Champion.
It would come down to the well-respected Chevrey "Vitality__Rockyy" Corentin vs. the relatively unknown Shaun "Shellz" Springette for the grand prize, $160,000, with Rockyy taking home the victory in exhilarating fashion. Here's how Saturday's action in Berlin unfolded.
Drama in the finals
It's safe to say the relatively obscure Shellz won't be taken lightly anymore, as the Englishmen nearly walked away with the FIFA Ultimate Team Finals Championship in a truly back-and-forth contest.
Starting the first leg of the Grand Finals on his home console, the PlayStation 4, Shellz struck first, scoring an easy goal within the first 10 minutes of the game. But Rockyy responded twofold, scoring the game tying goal in the second half before following it up with a second goal to win the game on the away console.
Needing to win on aggregate goals, Rockyy's two away goals advantage put him in an enviable position heading into the final game of the series, this time on Xbox. However, Shellz wasn't about to give up on his Cinderella run, immediately scoring two goals, one with Cristiano Ronaldo off a rebound, and another from Neymar shortly after, to start the first half. Rockyy would score a rather cheeky goal in the final minutes of the first half to even the game up on aggregate goals at 3-3, but as he had done all tournament long, Shellz would respond almost immediately, scoring another goal to take a lead heading into the final half.
Needing to score two goals in the second half in order to take home the trophy, Rockyy got to work quickly, capitalizing on impeccable ball possession to score a game-tying goal before 10 minutes had ticked off. Struggling to maintain his lead, Shellz continued to take chances in his offense, but would only cede more possession time to Rockyy. That would eventually put the dagger in the upset, as the second-place finisher in the Season 1 European Regional would score the winning goal in the waning moments of the game.
Onward to London
It's not all bad for Shellz, who will walk away with $80,000 for his efforts, and the title of PS4 FIFA Ultimate Team Finals Champion. His run also earned him a trip to London for the FIFA Interactive World Cup in August. Joining Shellz in London will be Vitality__Rockyy, Marcel "Marlut" Lutz, Rafael Salles "PSG Rafifa13" Leite Fortes, Spencer "Gorilla Unilad" Ealing, Johann "Maniika" Simon, Timo "TimoX" Siex and Tim "TheStrxngeR" Katnawatos.
