FaZe Clan beat Team Spirit to get into the Semifinals of PGL Major Copenhagen
In a high-stakes showdown in the second quarterfinal match of the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, FaZe Clan and Team Spirit engaged in a tense battle that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.
The match unfolded as a seesaw of momentum shifts, with both teams delivering jaw-dropping plays and clutch moments. However, in a thrilling conclusion, FaZe Clan managed to secure a hard-fought victory, edging out Team Spirit with a 2-1 series win.
FaZe Clan 2-1 Team Spirit
Team Spirit picked Mirage to kick off the series. Even though it was their map pick, Spirit failed to show up on the server. FaZe had a dominant first half and ended their CT-side 8-4. Even though Spirit managed to win the pistol in the second half as well, FaZe just overpowered them and closed out the map 13-7.
Team Spirit managed to find their footing on FaZe’s pick of Nuke. Even though FaZe won out the pistol and the following round, Team Spirit pulled off a seven round win streak to get them into the lead. And then managed to close out the half at 8-4. However, FaZe Clan were not going to go down silently. They also showed off a stellar CT-side to push the map into Overtime.
It was a very intense back-and-forth during Overtime, but Team Spirit managed to get the upper hand and close out the map in the second half of the second overtime at 19-16.
Vertigo was left over as the decider. A bold move by FaZe Clan, who usually perma-ban this map due to their lack of playtime. However, they had a fantastic start on their CT-side, managing to take an early 7-0 lead. They ended the first half at 8-4. They continued this momentum in the second half, and made it to match point at 12-5. However, Team Spirit showed incredible resilience, and won seven rounds in a row themselves to push the map into yet another Overtime.
This time however, Spirit were not so lucky. FaZe Clan dominated both halves of OT to finally close out the map at 16-14.
Post-Match Analysis
According to analyst Jacob "Pimp" Winneche, it was the best game of Counter-Strike 2 he had ever seen.
“It was a match that went back-and-forth, back-and-forth. We saw it on Nuke, we saw it on Vertigo as well. Two In-Game Leaders who really duked it out on the server. I guess someone had to win at the end.”
After the match, Finn "karrigan" Andersen joined the analysts' desk to share some insights on the game.
“Me and [Håvard] went outside to get some fresh air after Nuke, and we just started laughing. Sometimes when you’re in a game, you just kind of respect some of the skill that’s one the server. We had some good setups, I’m holding an angle, I get insta-one-tapped, and I’m just like, ‘damn’. And I think that the level of [gameplay] we showed here, in my opinion, is a grand final level from both teams. I think we challenged each other, I think we also made a gamble on the veto. I think we could’ve closed it out more [smoothly]. But it isn’t FaZe Clan if it isn’t won like this.”
On being asked about their veto on Vertigo, karrigan had this to say:
“I can be crazy, but I don’t think I’m gonna be that crazy with my veto. Obviously we played the veto to our strengths. I was surprised they went for Vertigo. Because I think Spirit have shown me they are a high-prep team. They [went] in blind. And I think it showcased in the first few rounds.
We actually have played the map a bit, right? We had some things, we had set reactions. We were playing off the flow. And when you get that deep, obviously I don’t have the most experience to call us home on the T-side. But I think I tried everything in our playbook that worked for us in practice. In the end, they’re not a bad Vertigo team if they start fighting us off. That’s what Frozen talked about, improvising on the fly. ‘What do we do in that moment?’ Many of these scenarios, we don’t get in practice.”
FaZe Clan move onto the Semifinals, where they will face Team Vitality.
Team Spirit's journey at the first CS2 Major ends here. They have been eliminated at 5th-8th place.
Stay tuned to Strafe Esports for predictions and more information on the playoffs. And also, for further updates on the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.
You can also follow the official PGL Esports X (formerly Twitter) for more updates.
Featured Image Source: PGL
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