Astralis and FaZe Clan are the upper bracket finalists in ESL One: Road to Rio Europe. Astralis enjoyed a surprisingly easy matchup with G2, something FaZe can only be jealous of, as their own semifinal with NiP unraveled in a completely opposite direction.
FaZe win match of the tournament, Astralis crush G2
Let’s start with FaZe and NiP, where all the interesting stuff happened. The Swedes were on the verge of upsetting the apple cart once again, but faltered in the crucial moments similar to their ESL Pro League Season 11 campaign.
— NiKo (@G2NiKo) May 13, 2020
Technically speaking, the Ninjas didn’t lose a map in this series. They won Overpass comfortably 16-9 and took 15 rounds on each of the following maps. It was the overtime periods that killed Swedish hopes. FaZe displayed nerves of steel to steal Mirage in triple overtime 25-22 and did it again to NiP on Train, this time only needing a single OT. FaZe were usually a bit closer to victory in the final rounds of Mirage and Train but even then Ninjas in Pyjamas are probably kicking themselves for not clinching this one.
Astralis, meanwhile, only really had to sweat for one map as G2 could not bring it on the second. A second-half Danish rally concluded with a 29th round victory on Vertigo. Overpass was all Astralis – a quick 16-7 put an end to this contest and sent G2 in the lower bracket.
— Astralis Counter-Strike (@AstralisCS) May 13, 2020
A single game was played yesterday in the CIS region. In the first quarterfinal Virtus.pro escaped with victory from their clash with Nemiga Gaming. The Belarus-based org took the lead on Mirage and pushed Inferno to overtime. That OT proved the turning point. After VP squeezed that 19-17 win out of the second map, Vertigo became a formality – 16-6.
What’s next
Astralis and FaZe will duel each other in the European upper bracket final, but that match’s not due till Friday. Today the lower bracket will go at it, with both semifinals taking place later on the clock. Ninjas in Pyjamas will try to make amends versus Team Vitality and prevent an all-French lower final as the other semi brings G2 Esports and Team Heretics to the server.
Once again, the CIS will be short on games, with the second quarterfinal between Winstrike Team and Syman Gaming the only dish on the menu. The winner will meet Gamer Legion in the semifinals. Virtus.pro will have to wait until tomorrow for their own go at the semis – a match vs. Team Spirit.
Other ESL One: Road to Rio regions, such as North and South America, already concluded, so check that out if you haven’t.
