At the Hanoi Vietnam National Convention Center, Day 1 of the 2019 MSI took place. The team representing Vietnam, Phong Vu Buffalo, had played against iG and TL but had lost both their matches. 

The following is an interview with Buffalo's head coach, Ren.

You guys had unfortunately lost both matches today. However, even when playing against the World Champions, iG, you guys played confidently and offensively. As head coach of the Buffalos, how do you feel about today's matches?

Our team's main goal of today was to relieve the pressure and stress that my players accumulated throughout the 2019 MSI Play-In Stage. However, when the players got rid of some of that said pressure, they got a bit overexcited. That led to our disappointing and regretful performance today. 


Your first game against Invictus Gaming was a bloodfest. Did you order your players to play aggressively? 

I simply told my players to give their best shot against the World Champions - to do their best against the current kings. Our match against iG was quite a chaotic one that didn't involve too much strategy... Our team can macro really well when we have an advantage during a match. I believe our defeat today will be helpful for us to do better starting tomorrow. 


A major League of Legends event, the 2019 MSI is being held here in Hanoi, Vietnam. How do you feel about that?

The fact that Vietnam was able to host such a major event, proves that Vietnam has improved significantly as a region. We have become a lot stronger and professional. It also shows that our fans are passionate and that they support esports here in Vietnam.


Can you tell us your resolution for the remainder of the tournament?

We lost both our matches today. Although we played as we had planned before the matches, we made minor mistakes here and there that led us to lose. We need to improve in that aspect. 

We had planned strategies for each and every team here at the 2019 MSI. I believe we'll be able to play head-to-head or even defeat a top team if we continue to work hard.