MADRID -- As it has been all year long, it was almost a great day for Fnatic.
A rowdy crowd filled the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid on Saturday for the first day of the League of Legends World Championship quarterfinals, the colors of Fnatic, orange and black, overtaking the century-old arena. Fans showed up early in the day to watch the opening match, Invictus Gaming vs. Griffin, awaiting the moment where Europe's No. 2 seed would walk out onto the stage and, hopefully, make them proud.
After advancing from what was the toughest (on paper) group in world championship history, everything seemed to be set up just right for Fnatic. They brushed off a sluggish start in the first half of groups to make it to Madrid by winning three straight group stage matches, including a victory over tournament favorite SK Telecom T1, and were matched up with the No. 1 seed that looked most vulnerable, China's FunPlus Phoenix, in a best-of-five standoff for a semifinal berth.
Fnatic had the momentum advantage. Fnatic had the experience advantage, with four of their five starters having gone to the worlds grand final last year. Fnatic, without question, had the home-field advantage.
It didn't matter, though.
As it was all year long, things fell into place for Fnatic and yet it was all for naught. The Europeans fell down early and often against FunPlus, sinking into an 0-2 hole in their series that they never were able to recover from. They took a single win, igniting the crowd to rise to their feet once more, but that was the end of the festivities.
Those booming cheers quieted, and the only lively voices audible in the coliseum were spurred on by FunPlus Phoenix mid laner Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang's wife, Li "Umi" Youzi, leading the chants for her husband as his team marched to the semifinals.
For a third straight year in a row, Fnatic had been eliminated in the knockout rounds by a Chinese team.
"I'm sorry for an embarrassing performance," Fnatic AD carry Martin "Rekkles" Larsson said.
It was only one year ago when Rekkles was in Incheon, South Korea, arms folded across his chest with the wind blowing in his air during the over-the-top spectacle which has become commonplace during the world championship final. Following a long career of bittersweet endings, the face of Fnatic felt destined to win his first world title. The day before, in the pre-final news conference, he was confident along with the rest of his teammates.
It had the makings of a great day until it actually played out, with Fnatic's challenger, Invictus Gaming, running them over in three straight games and dancing in a whirlwind of postgame confetti.
Fnatic's so-close-but-so-far days stuck with them throughout 2019 . Fnatic took G2 Esports, another worlds favorite, to five games in two separate matches during the summer split playoffs, and each time Fnatic were left watching their opponents celebrate.
"I don't think this year was that great of a year, honestly," Rekkles said. "I think we had struggles as a team throughout the entirety of it, and we really never came to a point where I think everyone was happy. So, honestly, what I would take away is I want to make sure we're really happy with each other for next year.
"I think when it matters, you need each other to succeed, and today, I don't think we had each other's backs."
Since losing to iG in Incheon, it's felt as if Fnatic have been trying to chase that grand finals loss. They lost their ace player in Rasmus "Caps" Winther to G2 in the offseason and replaced him with a rookie in Tim "Nemesis" Lipovšek from Slovenia. After surviving some early season growing pains, by the end of the domestic slate, Fnatic were back as one of the teams with a good chance to win worlds. Even though they didn't win a League European Championship title, another run to the world championship final, and perhaps a title, seemed feasible.
Fnatic made it out of the group of death and found the thorn in their side, G2, on the opposite side of the bracket. Europe's No. 2 team survived losing their best player to their arch-rival and nurtured a rookie into one of the more consistent players in the starting roster. It all built up to a dream scenario: Nothing could top Europe's two pillar franchises going head-to-head for the Summoner's Cup in a battle for continental (and world) supremacy in Paris on Nov. 10.
It wasn't meant to be. Another great day vanished behind disappointment. Saturday was another melancholy affair for Fnatic, ending with the players and staff wondering what they could have done do to earn just 24 hours of perfection.