G2 best Astralis in three-map thriller

The final qualifying spot to be found today was up for grabs between G2 and Astralis. Both are iconic names within the professional CS:GO scene, however, only one of them would secure the prestigious ticket to Antwerp today. As expected, the brawl between G2 and Astralis was close and intense from start to finish. Failing to reach a conclusion after the first two maps, a third and final map was needed for the Bo3-series to find a victor. Both teams climbed their way up to Vertigo and a final brawl ensued. Ultimately, it was the star-studded roster of G2, led by "NiKo" to claim victory against the Danes. A close brawl concluded and G2 managed to secure a ticket to Antwerp for the upcoming PGL Major 2022.

The first map of the Bo3-series was picked by G2 and saw the two CS:GO giants begin their battle on the iconic map of Dust 2. Saying that both teams are familiar with Dust 2 would be an understatement, so a close and back and forth game was to be expected from the two rosters. The first half didn't fail to deliver in terms of entertainment. Trading rounds back and forth, the two teams went to halftime at a close scoreline of 8-7, slightly favoring the G2 side. Whilst the first half had delivered in terms of a close and exciting brawl between the two teams, the second half showcased a CT masterclass from G2. Shutting down Astralis in every possible way, the European-international roster of G2 proved dominant. Despite a "k0nfig" on fire, Astralis had to see themselves bested on Dust 2 at the scoreline of 16-10.

The second map of the series was picked by Astralis and, perhaps unsurprisingly, meant a trip to the jungle. Ancient has been Astralis' hidden weapon in a time where they have struggled to succeed on the other maps in the official map pool. Starting on the more challenging T-side, Astralis came flying out of the gate. Thanks to impactful lurks from "k0nfig" and "blameF" topping the leaderboard, the Danes took complete control over Ancient from the get-go. Failing to contain the Danes, G2 had to see themselves behind at 12-3, going into the second half of Ancient. With the arguably more difficult T-side over for Astralis, it seemed as if Ancient was already finished before the second half got underway. Whilst G2 gave it their best shot in the second half, Ancient was over before you could blink. A stunning performance from the Danes netted them a 16-7 victory on their own map pick of the series.

With both teams winning their own map pick, it all came down to Vertigo as the third and final map of the Bo3-series. It is no secret that Astralis have had difficulty on the map in recent times, however, coming off the back of the impressive Ancient victory, Vertigo was anyone's map to take home. As a matter of fact, it was Astralis to carry on their momentum from Ancient and start the strongest on Vertigo. An impressive CT-sided start to the half saw them gain an 8-2 lead before being answered back by G2. Managing to close the gap before switching sides, things were as close as possible at the scoreline of 8-7 going into halftime. The second half continued as the first had ended, extremely close. It was clear that neither team would give up on the chance to qualify for the PGL Major here and now. Regulation proved inadequate and overtime was needed to find the victor of the Bo3-series. Ultimately, G2 proved more resilient and managed to take down the Danes after an intense affair on Vertigo at the scoreline of 19-17.

G2 - Astralis 2-1 | PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Europe RMR B

16-10 (Dust 2) | NiKo - 1.61 Rating / 26-16 K-D / 105.5 ADR

7-16 (Ancient) | Farlig - 1.76 Rating / 23-9 K-D / 104.8 ADR

19-17 (Vertigo) | JACKZ - 1.19 Rating / 29-20 K-D / 72.6 ADR

MVP: Nemanja "huNter-" Kovač - 1.16 Rating / 64-59 K-D / 80.8 ADR

PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Europe RMR B overview - Spirit vs Endpoint (2-0)

Whilst the brawl between Astralis and G2 was underway, another brawl took place over on the B-stream between Spirit and Endpoint. Whereas Astralis and G2 found themselves fighting for a qualifying spot, the battle between Spirit and Endpoint was to avoid elimination from the RMR event.

Spirit proved their worth when facing Endpoint and after two confident victories on Dust 2 and Vertigo, they were able to guarantee themselves another fighting chance for a ticket to Antwerp. After the victory against Endpoint, Spirit are sitting on a 2-2 record at the RMR event.