khaN: Nemiga's Major run born from refusing to feel the pressure

Nemiga have reached the semi-finals of PGL Masters Bucharest after beating FUT, a result that stands as the team's best-ever finish at a Big Event by a wide margin and has already secured their place at the PGL Singapore Major.

Speaking to HLTV after the win over FUT, khaN said the result did not come as a shock to his side, pointing to extensive practice against similarly ranked opposition in the build-up. "We've been playing a lot of pracs against them as well, against such teams at top-10, top-15," he said, adding that his team "weren't nervous about the result" because they know they are "capable of winning such teams."

The rifler said he had previously competed at other tier-one events without reaching the playoffs, and attributed those earlier struggles to the weight his team placed on itself. "We were putting too much pressure on ourselves, like, 'We should go playoffs. We should win,'" he told HLTV.

That approach has shifted. "Recently I just started to not give a fuck," khaN said. "I'm trying to just enjoy as much as I can playing, on the stage. Everything feels good."

Asked why this Nemiga line-up has outperformed earlier versions of the team, khaN pointed to a straightforward improvement in individual quality alongside better composure under pressure. "It should be pretty obvious that we have just more skilled players right now," he said, adding that the squad is "handling our nerves much better" than before.

With Major qualification already locked in, khaN was cautious about setting targets beyond the next stage of the Bucharest event itself. "First of all, we need to see where we are starting. But for me, first step would be playoffs, and after that we will see," he told HLTV.

He also acknowledged the support Nemiga received during a difficult opening to the season. "It was really tough at the start of the season, considering how we were losing. But a lot of people were really supporting us, and it means a lot for us," khaN said.

On the ceiling for this roster, khaN was candid about ongoing issues rather than overselling the run. He referenced problems with utility usage and in-game communication from the team's most recent match, saying those are areas Nemiga still need to correct. "I think if we fix these problems, I'm pretty sure we can be a stable top-10 team," he told HLTV.

Nemiga now turn their attention to the semi-final at PGL Masters Bucharest, with their Singapore Major berth already banked regardless of how the rest of the event unfolds.