Virtus.Pro eliminates Vitality from the Esports World Cup
Against all odds, Virtus.Pro bests Team Vitality to secure a spot in the semifinals against the new G2.
Regulation wasn’t enough
Mirage, Virtus.Pro’s map pick, was down to the wire after reaching triple overtime. On the back of winning the pistol round and conversion, Dzhami "Jame" Ali’s men were off to a good start. However, it wasn’t long until the star players of Vitality fought back with five rounds of their own.
Since then, both teams traded blows for the remaining rounds with Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut and Jame firing on all cylinders, to reach overtime. Although both teams were toe-to-toe, Vitality managed to break the ice and sweep the Russians with a clean half on T side. However, Virtus.Pro brought the score level, denying an early victory for Vitality.
Similar to the regulation time, the back-and-forth rounds continued until a bad call from Jame to dry swing middle was met by ZywOo’s green gun with the support of Dan "apEX" Madesclaire, to secure the lead at 21-20. Ironically, Virtus.Pro threw away their chance to extend the map to a fourth overtime by losing a 2v1 on the back of an A site split against William "mezii" Merriman and the clock. With it, Vitality secured their only map before heading to Inferno.
An inferno inside Vitality
Virtus.Pro’s impressive performance on Mirage caught the Bees by surprise, and to no one’s expectations, Inferno was a one-sided affair for the CIS giant.
Moreover, the captain took the matter into his own hands in the pistol round with three crispy headshots, giving his team a much-needed confidence boost after the first map.
Yet, with a collective effort, Vitality scrambled enough rounds for a comfortable CT side, or did they? During the second half, Virtus.Pro bamboozled apEX’s defenses with eight consecutive rounds, finishing the map at 13-7.
Tactically, the Russians were a step ahead, often getting the initial entry kill and capitalizing on it. An aspect in which Vitality struggled on the T side. With their disastrous showing, ZywOo was the only player for Vitality with a positive rating. In fact, he was the only one to break the double digits frags, while the rest finished with five, six, seven and nine respectively.
The nail in the coffin
Unfortunately for apEX and his squad, the decisive map was as tragic as the prior. With flashes from their last CT side, the drought continued for five more rounds. Setting the tone for an early victory for Virtus.Pro.
Despite managing a somewhat competitive half, it wasn’t enough as VP's defenses were impenetrable, ending the map at 13-5 and ultimately upsetting the tournament favorites.
With the win Jame and his team have secured semifinals against a rebuilt G2 Esports tomorrow. Catch the action live on YouTube, Twitch and TikTok. You can also catch the stream live on the official website.
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Featured Image source: Esports World Cup
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