Virtus.pro shakes off stubborn EG in crazy brawl!
The CIS team was put to hard work against Evil Geniuses.
Evil Geniuses have already rocked the boat in Group D at ESL Pro League. Their opening win in the match against Astralis has left the "Group of Death" wide open.
Today the North Americans delivered another exciting attempt to upset one of the top five teams in the world but got denied in the end after an intense overtime on Inferno.
The match started on Overpass with Virtus.pro taking a commanding lead. At 14-5, it never looked like, that there would be any doubt about the outcome, but then EG turned up the heat. A Vincent 'Brehze' Cayonte in prime condition created enough commotion to give his team an actual chance of a comeback. It went all the way to OT before Jame started the famous "Jame-time", and all of sudden, the comeback was denied.
But Virtus.pro had been warned, and on Vertigo they faced the harsh reality of a North American team, that had picked up the pace. After an even first half, Evil Geniuses plowed through the defense from the CIS team after the break and won the map 16-9.
With the momentum from Vertigo, it looked like a perfect setup for a brawl on Inferno. But like a boxer, who had taken a rest in a round or two, Virtus.pro came out with renewed energy and completely ran over Evil Geniuses in the first 15 rounds. In the first half alone, YEKINDAR made 21 kills with 152.7 in ADR giving his team an 11-4 lead at the break.
What looked like a clear-cut knockout started to evolve into the same scenario as on Overpass. EG controlled their CT-side perfectly and managed to win ten rounds in a row to equalize the lead at 14-14. The North Americans even made it to 15-14 before being stopped in the final round, which meant another OT.
Four hours in, the two teams were still pushing each other hard. EG hanged on with several crazy clutches like this.
But much like the round on Overpass, Virtus.pro just had that little extra in OT, and secured the win after three exciting maps of Counter-Strike.
Virtus.pro - Evil Geniuses 2-1 (19-17, 9-16, 19-17)
MVP: Mareks 'YEKINDAR' Gaļinskis - 1.39 rating / 83-70 K-D / 95.6 ADR
