After day two of the FACEIT London Major, we have a lot more interesting storylines to follow. Underdogs are surprising the rest of the competition, while top-tier hopefuls are disappointing. The day would have some surprisingly close matchups, while others were a bit more onesided. All in all, it was a great day of Counter-Strike for all the fans in London this afternoon.
North Disappoints Again
What a performance from Team Spirit on Nuke! 👏 @Team__Spirit 16 – 13 @TheNorthIsHere #FACEITMajor
🔴 https://t.co/RueSYniwFV pic.twitter.com/p9OBo1QYMQ
— FACEIT (@FACEIT) September 6, 2018
After the amazing showing North put on at Dreamhack Masters Stockholm, many people were thinking that they Danish team were in for a deep run at the Major. Unfortunately, it has been anything but amazing for North, as they would lose another game to CIS squad, Team Spirit. After reaching the halftime on Nuke with a 10-5 scoreline, it would seem that North simply could not string a successful amount of rounds. The Danish team would only get one full buy round in the second half, and they would still lose. We cannot see any of the North that won against FaZe Clan, Astralis and Natus Vincere this tournament, and they are now on the verge of elimination.
Team Liquid goes 2-0
Team Liquid cruise through Inferno, thanks to huge performances from @TACOCS & @TwistzzVD 👏@TeamLiquid 16 – 9 @HELLRAISERSgg #FACEITMajor
🔴 https://t.co/RueSYniwFV pic.twitter.com/CLi4pU2a37
— FACEIT (@FACEIT) September 6, 2018
On the other side, Team Liquid would make pretty short work of HellRaisers today. However, it would look pretty good for HellRaisers early on, as they would take an early four round lead on Inferno. TL’s Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski would put a stop to the opposition’s run and from then on, it would be all Team Liquid. They would only drop a single round after going 4-0, leading into the half. Team Liquid would continue their calculated style of play, controlling the economy of HellRaisers throughout the matchup. Liquid would take the map, 16-9. They were led by some great play from Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken and Epitacio “TACO” de Melo. HellRaisers’ Özgür “woxic” Eker was relatively quiet this game, posting an 11-18 scoreline.
Vega Squadron takes down BIG in overtime
BEAST MODE from chopper 👏@BIGCLANgg 16 – 17 @VegaSquadron #FACEITMajor
🔴 https://t.co/RueSYniwFV pic.twitter.com/JnxEzHY1ad
— FACEIT (@FACEIT) September 6, 2018
Vega Squadron continues their run through the group stages with an impressive overtime win against BIG Clan. BIG would take an early advantage, even going on a five-round win streak. However, Vega Squadron would manage to keep things close with two clutch wins in a row. As a result, they would go into the half with a 9-6 lead. The second half would be incredibly close, with both teams trading multiple rounds back and forth. They would hit overtime, where Vega Squadron would eventually win the map. It is a surprise ending for BIG, who’s key duo of Johannes ‘tabseN‘ Wodarz and Owen ‘smooya‘ Butterfield would post some great scorelines. For Vega, the X-factors would be Anton ‘tonyblack‘ Kolesnikov and Dmitriy ‘jR‘ Chervak, who would net 30 kills each.
Astralis edges past Rogue
The Danes show why they're considered one of the world's best, with a confident comeback on Inferno 👏@astralisgg 16 – 13 @GoingRogueGG #FACEITMajor
🔴 https://t.co/RueSYniwFV pic.twitter.com/Wt10dAd6Be
— FACEIT (@FACEIT) September 6, 2018
Meanwhile, the Danish powerhouse Astralis were given quite the scare against Rogue. The American-based team would actually take an early lead against Astralis, going 5-1. Even though Astralis would finally muster up a flawless gun round, Rogue would answer back with a quick string of round wins. They would hit the half way mark up, 10-5. However, Rogue would get too eager in the second half, showing some weaknesses to Astralis, which they would exploit. In the 22nd round, Astralis would finally mount a huge comeback by winning seven rounds in a row to take Inferno. Of course, Astralis’ star AWPer Nicolai ‘dev1ce‘ Reedtz would lead the comeback, posting a server-leading 26-14 scoreline.
As always, here are the FACEIT London Major matchups for day three:
1-1 (cont): @GambitEsports vs. @HELLRAISERSgg @tyloogaming vs. @OpTicGaming
0-2: @Renegades vs. @SpaceSoldiersTR @TheNorthIsHere vs. @virtuspro
— FACEIT (@FACEIT) September 6, 2018
What do you think of today’s FACEIT London Major matches? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Also, if you missed the FACEIT London Major Day One highlights, check them out here!
