story: "If krazy and aragornN continue to evolve, I think we can reach a very high level"

The Portuguese AWPer was full of praise for his two newest teammates.

SAW pulled off the first big upset of FISSURE Playground 1 as they moved past FURIA, the highest-ranked team of the tournament, in dominant fashion.

After a disappointing end to the season, SAW pulled the plug on the international project and brought in two new players, Adones "⁠krazy⁠" Nobre and António "⁠aragornN⁠" Barbosa, while promoting analyst Tiago "⁠SYDOX⁠" Fonseca to head coach.

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SAW debut new roster with shock win over FURIA

The initial impressions are clearly positive, though SAW's international roster also had a promising start before things went sideways. "I think the biggest difference between the two teams is that with the previous team, practice didn't go the way we wanted it to, we couldn't progress, and I think that's the biggest reason why I don't think this is a honeymoon," João "⁠story⁠" Vieira told HLTV after the match.

Despite their lack of experience, krazy and aragornN acquitted themselves well against FURIA, with the former posting a 1.39 rating on Dust2.

story praised the team's newest recruits and said that the team can "reach a very high level" if they continue to improve.

"We're getting to know our level," he said. "In the future, we will try to set expectations a little higher while keeping our feet on the ground."

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A fantastic start to the tournament, I'd say, with a victory against FURIA, one of the main favorites here. What is going through your mind right now?

Our work is going well right now, we have to stay focused and eager. The most important things right now are our eagerness and our mutual help. Looking at the teams here, FURIA are the clear favorites to win the tournament, because of how they ended the season, but we also knew they had some weaknesses, and we managed to remain calm in certain situations. And by converting this into rounds, that gave us control of the game.

This was your first official match in two months and your first time playing with the two new players and the new coach. No one knew what to expect from you, and I guess you didn't know what to expect yourselves. What was your mindset heading into the game? Did you think you could have a match like this?

 From the moment we started training, we immediately felt that there were things we were going to have to fix over time, and which are still appearing. But we felt that our game was more solid in many respects, a little bit due to communication. Whether we expected a match like this… I'd say we expected a close match. We knew we had the ability. We had to show what we were doing in practice, and I think that was key, showing what we had been practicing, the confidence we have been displaying in practice.

In the interview that MUTiRiS did on the broadcast, he said that expectations for this tournament were very low because this is the first international tournament for krazy and aragornN. How do you think they played here?

I had already played with aragornN, so I knew about his capabilities and the way he communicates, but he has evolved a lot since then. One thing that is a bit funny is that he was playing some positions on Rhyno that I just couldn't understand the reasoning behind, and they weren't getting the maximum potential out of him. I think he will improve a lot with time.

And as for krazy, we once again got a player who was AWPing the previous season, but I think he is someone who very easily adapts to things and is very smart. I don't think I have ever seen him make the same mistake twice. If they continue to evolve, I think we can reach a very high level.

In terms of expectations, we didn't know what to expect, to be honest. We're getting to know our level. In the future, we will try to set expectations a little higher while keeping our feet on the ground.

Tell me about the changes to the team. What problems did you identify with the international roster, and what made the organization take a step back and build a full Portuguese lineup again?

It was partly because of how we managed the team internally. We had a bit higher expectations. But I think the start to the year didn't help with our mental game because we couldn't feel that we were progressing. And that kind of continued with the international roster, and I think the mental part was the hardest to deal with, because time passed and it just felt like we weren't progressing. And I can say we started to become a bit more intense, the Portuguese players especially, which is our way of being. And I think towards the end it just wasn't working out, and this was the best option for everyone.

I wanted to ask you about an interview you did in February, after you benched roman and Shr. You said that there was no one in Portugal that could solve your problems. What changed?

I think what I meant at the time was that I didn't think we could find anyone who matched our expectations. But coming here and seeing their progress and the way they play, I think we have what it takes to get to the same level of expectations. When we had ewjerkz and arrozdoce, I didn't think we could find anyone with the same level, because of all the time we had been through and for the structure we had built. I thought it would be very hard to find someone talented enough to make up for that.

First tournament, first win, and it's all sunshine and rainbows. Do you think this can be a bit of a honeymoon, kind of what happened in your first tournament with the international roster?

 I think the biggest difference I find between the two teams is that with the previous team, practice didn't go the way we wanted it to, we couldn't progress, and I think that's the biggest reason why I don't think this is a honeymoon. But of course, if we slow down and stop evolving, people will clearly point out that it was a honeymoon and that's fair. But I think that's the biggest difference, the fact that we're clearly seeing progress in practice.

After a win like this, it's impossible not to talk about your run in Cologne last year. How would you compare both teams?

When we got to Cologne, we had already spent a lot of time together and we had already gotten used to each other. I think it was a matter of time before it happened; we just had to wait for that individual peak. And I think everything happened at the same time, and it went really well.

Date	Matches
FISSURE Playground 1
16/07/2025	GamerLegion 13:20 SAW	Match

I think at the moment, we have a better idea of how to get there because we have been there before. And I think we can replicate that in other tournaments. The teams aren't as strong here and I think we can do some nice things here. It's really important that we beat GamerLegion tomorrow. We are focused. We will prepare for the match tonight and we will give our all.

How far do you think the team can go here? What is the minimum you'd like to achieve?

I think the minimum is to show the level of CS we have been showing in practice and that's what's happening right now. But everyone here works hard to get to the playoffs, to get to a final, to win the tournament. Those things will come as the tournament goes on. While we're still in the tournament, we will always believe.