Day 3 of the 2024 IEM Cologne tournament saw the elimination of four teams, including Astralis, Virtus.pro, MongolZ, and FURIA.

Astralis was among the most notable casualties, falling to G2 in a grueling three-map series. Despite a promising start to the tournament, the Danish team struggled significantly in their matchups against NAVI and G2, losing four out of five maps in convincing fashion. Their struggles were especially apparent on the CT-side, as demonstrated by their heavy losses on Dust2 (1-13) and Ancient (3-13) against G2.

FURIA’s tournament run was equally disappointing, as they were only competitive in one of the four maps they played. In their elimination match against Team Liquid, the Brazilian squad nearly secured a win on Liquid’s map pick, Dust2, but then faltered on Nuke, effectively ending their campaign. Yuri 'yuurih' Santos had a particularly rough performance, registering just 20 kills across four maps and finishing with a 0.55 rating—his worst since beginning his professional career in 2016.

[slugORMA:{"slug":"donk-spirit-iem-cologne","isNewTab":true}]

Virtus.pro was eliminated by Falcons, while MongolZ couldn’t withstand the firepower of Lucas 'nqz' Soares on Nuke. The paiN AWPer dominated MongolZ in the second half of the map, ensuring paiN's advancement in the tournament. paiN will now face G2 for the final playoff spot from Group A.

In Group B, MOUZ and Vitality secured their places in the Lanxess Arena with wins over Complexity and FaZe, respectively. Complexity and FaZe will now move to the lower bracket, where they will face Falcons and Liquid in two highly anticipated matchups today.

For more details, including match results and the full tournament schedule, visit our [link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/news/everything-need-know-about-iem-cologne-2024","isNewTab":true,"text":"tournament page"}].

yuurih

FURIA

Astralis

Virtus.pro

TheMongolz

All eyes are on the 16 teams that start their journey at the PGL Copenhagen Major on Sunday at the Opening Stage of the tournament. The biggest stars on the scene will enter the tournament in the next phase, where FaZe, G2, and the rest of the seeded teams for the Elimination Stage await. But until then, we will take a look at some of the players, that you should keep an eye on in the first stage of the tournament.

Filter: Against the top 50 teams (min. 15 maps) in 2024

1. João "felps" Vasconcellos (Imperial) – 1.19 rating (32 maps)

The 27-year-old Brazilian plays his sixth Major in his career. It’s been a while ago since the former SK rifler was part of any lineup that could win big tournaments, but in 2024 João "felps" Vasconcellos and his teammates have shown promising signs. The experienced Rifler is averaging a 1.25 rating overall, and a 1.19 rating against top 50 teams in the world.

2. Rafael "arrozdoce" Wing (SAW) – 1.19 rating (24 maps)

SAW is one of the most in-form teams that are going to the Copenhagen Major. With 9 wins in a row, the Portuguese fans are expecting their heroes to go far in the first CS2 Major in history. One of the key players for SAW will be Rafael "arrozdoce" Wing. The 21-year-old rifler has been amazing in the last couple of tournaments, where he has averaged between 1.21 and 1.32. Rafael "arrozdoce" Wing is one of the most in-form players at the tournament, and we can’t wait to see, what he brings to the server in Copenhagen.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/XANTARES_hsb0mh","originalWidth":2048,"originalHeight":1152,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: PGL"}]

3. İsmailсan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş (Eternal Fire) – 1.19 rating (22 maps)

The Turkish Rifler is obviously going to feature on this list. İsmailсan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş is now 28-year-old, but he can still shoot heads. The Rifler was great in Katowice but had issues performing against the likes of FaZe and G2. Against lesser prominent opponents, İsmailсan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş is still lethal, and has a very respectable 1.19 rating in 2024.

4. Özgür "woxic" Eker (Eternal Fire) – 1.18 rating (22 maps)

We have long stopped counting the times that Eternal Fire changed their roster in the past. But now something seems to have clicked for the Turkish side, that are expected to be among the best teams in the opening stage of the tournament. One of the reasons is Özgür "woxic" Eker. The 25-year-old AWP’er has been fairly consistent for Eternal Fire, and sometimes we see glimpses of the player that were ranked in the top 20 of the world in 2019. At the IEM Katowice Play-in, Özgür "woxic" Eker gave one of the best performances of his career with a 1.51 rating. It will be interesting to see, how Eternal Fire plays at the event after nearly a month without competitive matches.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/yuurih_axkbad","originalWidth":4096,"originalHeight":2304,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: PGL"}]

5. Yuri "yuurih" Boian (FURIA) – 1.18 rating (19 maps)

2318 days. That is the number of days, that Yuri "yuurih" Boian has been rifling for FURIA. The longest-standing member of the team is also the player in best shape before the start of the Copenhagen Major. The duo of Yuri "yuurih" Boian and Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato is always dangerous, and will without a doubt pose a threat to all the teams in the Opening Stage.

6. Michel "ewjerkz" Magalhães (SAW) – 1.17 rating (24 maps)

Another SAW player has found his way to the top of the ratings. Michel "ewjerkz" Magalhães has been very consistent in his performances for SAW with a minimum of 1.11 rating in the five events, that SAW has played in 2024. Michel "ewjerkz" Magalhães is 23-years-old and joined SAW in the summer of 2022. Can he bring glory to Portugal in CS2?

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/jkaem_Apeks_u88z2l","originalWidth":2048,"originalHeight":1365,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: BLAST and Michal Konkol"}]

7. Joakim 'jkaem' Myrbostad (Apeks) – 1.17 rating (34 maps)

The Norwegian Rifler has played competitive Counter-Strike since 2014! Copenhagen will be the 9th Major in history for Joakim 'jkaem' Myrbostad, who went all the way to the Semi-Finals with Apeks at the last Major in Paris. At 30 years old, Joakim 'jkaem' Myrbostad will be one of the keystones for Apeks to replicate the impressive result from Paris.

[slugORMA:{"slug":"pgl-copenhagen-major-2024","isNewTab":true}]

8. Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato (FURIA) – 1.16 rating (19 maps)

Often mentioned as the current best player from Brazil, Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato will once again be one of the key players for FURIA, if they want to succeed in Copenhagen. Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato has been named among the best 20 players in the world by HLTV four years in a row. At the last Major in Paris however, Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato and FURIA were a long way from doing damage, so it will be interesting to see, what kind of FURIA we will see this time around.

9. Garidmagnai "bLitz" Byambasuren (TheMongolz) – 1.16 rating (16 maps)

TheMongolz has been the best team out of the Asian/Oceania region in the last couple of years. One of the stars of the Asian scene is 22-year-old Garidmagnai "bLitz" Byambasuren. The rifler plowed through the RMR tournament with a 1.46 rating and has greatly contributed to the fact, that TheMongolz is one of the teams to watch in the first stage of PGL Copenhagen.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/mopoz_mvbiph","originalWidth":4096,"originalHeight":2304,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: ESL Stephanie Lindgren"}]

10. Alejandro "mopoz" Fernández (KOI) – 1.15 rating (35 maps)

27-year-old Alejandro "mopoz" Fernández spent a lifetime (in Counter-Strike terms) playing under the banner of Movistar Riders from 2017 until the start of 2024. Now the team is named KOI, but it is still with the roots of Iberian Counter-Strike in mind, that the Spanish/Portuguese roster enters the first CS2 Major in history. As an entry-fragger, Alejandro "mopoz" Fernández has been an excellent spearhead for KOI in 2024, where he has averaged a 1.15 rating against the top 50 teams.

11. Henrique "HEN1" Teles (Imperial) – 1.15 rating (32 maps)

Immortals, Luminosity Gaming, FURIA, O Plano, 00 Nation, MIBR, and Imperial. The list of Brazilian teams that Henrique "HEN1" Teles has played on is long and windy, but recently Imperial has begun to climb up in the world rankings after the team has performed significantly better. Henrique "HEN1" Teles looks determined to prove his worth after a superb performance at the RMR averaging 1.62 on the four maps it took Imperial to qualify. The 28-year-old Brazilian is playing his only second Major in his career, after reaching the Grand Final back in 2017 at PGL Major Krakow with Immortals.

12. Denis "electroNic" Sharipov (Cloud9) – 1.15 rating (30 maps)

The Russian Cloud9 player is the only Major winner on our list. But since the switch from NAVI to Cloud9, the results have been lackluster, to say the least. The introduction of Kirill 'Boombl4' Mikhailov as the new in-game leader has proven to be pivotal for the experienced rifler, who has seen a significant spike in his individual ratings. At IEM Katowice and the RMRs, Denis "electroNic" Sharipov once again showed that he is reliable as ever.

The opening round at PGL Copenhagen starts this Sunday.

electronic

HEN1

mopoz

bLitz

KSCERATO

jkaem

ewjerkz

woxic

arrozdoce

felps

All eyes are on FURIA at the IEM Rio, where the last remaining Brazilian roster fights for the chance of playing at the playoff stage on home turf.

Against ENCE on Vertigo, FURIA lifted the roof of the Riocentro with an impressive performance that saw them win the match 16-6.

A good first half on the T side gave way for an even better half as CT’s. The usual suspects in yuurih and KSCERATO was flanked by a very well-playing drop, who gave FURIA optimal conditions to take down ENCE in a somewhat spectacular fashion. Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer’s troops never really had any chance in the encounter that ended very one-sided.

Both teams will fight later tonight in the second round of the Legends Stage.

FURIA - ENCE 1-0 | IEM Rio Major Legends Stage

16-6 (Vertigo) | {cflag:BR} yuurih – 21-10 K-D / 111.9 ADR

ENCE

It's time to find the last three playoff teams at the 16th edition of ESL Pro League with Group D kicking off this Wednesday. The last group will run until Sunday and will feature Cloud9, Liquid, Movistar Riders, Evil Geniuses,  FURIA, and Eternal Fire. 

You can read our preview of Group D in the article below. 

[slugORMA:{"slug":"will-cloud9-able-step-from-disappointing-iem-cologne-run","isNewTab":true}]

Otherwise, you'll find today's schedule and official match stream right here.  

It wasn't just any ordinary game when the two giants of FURIA and G2 locked horns in a thrilling Bo3-series at the IEM Dallas 2022 event. A spot in the Semi-finals was up for grabs for the winning team, whereas the loser would have to see themselves eliminated from the event. Very little separated the two teams on paper as they are neck and neck on the official HLTV rankings. FURIA were the slight favorites, ranking as the seventh-best team in the world, whereas G2 were ranked as the eight-best team in the world before the clash. It was a close affair from the start to start to finish, as all three maps were needed to find a victory between the two CS:GO giants. Ultimately, however, it was FURIA to have the slight edge on their opponents as they finished the Bo3-series with a masterclass in Mirage. The 2-1 victory against G2 means that they are through to the Semi-Finals of the IEM Dallas 2022 event. 

As mentioned, the first map of the Bo3-series was to be played on the Italian soil of Inferno. Both FURIA and G2 are known to be a scary opponent to face on Inferno, however, with an ongoing win-streak of 9 on Inferno, it was clear to see why G2 opted for Inferno as their map pick, even against the Brazilians of FURIA. The aggressive FURIA roster managed to secure early control on Inferno. Not long after, however, the T-sided G2 roster let their presence be known as they answered back with rounds of their own. A close and intense first half of Inferno came to an end as the two rosters switched sides at the scoreline of 8-7. The second half brought more intense battles across the map, this time with FURIA on the offensive side. Despite the creative and aggressive nature of FURIA's t-sided strategies, the G2 defense proved too potent to penetrate. A great performance from the Kovač's in "NiKo" and "huNter-" helped G2 contain the Brazilians. At the scoreline of 16-13, it was G2 who were able to walk away from Inferno with a first-map victory and an advantage going into the remainder of the Bo3-series. 

The second map of the Bo3-series was, of course, picked by FURIA and saw the two rosters climb the heights of Vertigo. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Vertigo came to be the pick of the Brazilians. Just as G2 on Inferno, FURIA have been scarily good on Vertigo as of late. They are currently sitting on a win-record of 82% in the past three months (11 maps). However, G2 are no slouches on Vertigo themselves, and it proved. Starting on the arguably stronger CT-side of Vertigo, it was G2 to take control of the map in the first half. A strong defense and a "NiKo" on fire proved to be difficult for the Brazilians to handle as they would have to see themselves behind at 11-4, going into the second half of Vertigo. The second half saw "arT" and his troops finally wake up as they won back a handful of rounds, attempting an impressive comeback against G2. The comeback dream stayed alive as FURIA managed to force overtime against G2. At the scoreline of 19-17, it was the Brazilians who claimed victory on Vertigo and secured themselves a third and final map in the Bo3-series against G2. 

The third and deciding map of the Bo3-series was to be played on Mirage. Once again, Mirage is a map that both rosters are incredibly tried and tested on, and who favors the free-flowing playing style can be ascribed to both G2 and FURIA. After the comeback victory on Vertigo, it was the T-sided FURIA roster to come flying out of the gate on Mirage. With aggression and precision, the Brazilians mowed down the G2 defense and managed to secure a more than solid first half before switching sides at the scoreline of 11-4. The second half saw a FURIA roster just as dangerous as in the first half of Mirage. Without too much difficulty, the Brazilians closed out a phenomenal performance on Mirage at the scoreline of 16-5 and took home the victory against G2. 

[twitchClip:AbstemiousObliviousMangetoutTheThing-49mWyS6E_b1GDeOE]

G2 – FURIA 2-0 | IEM Dallas (Quarter-finals) 

16-13 (Inferno) | {cflag:BA} huNter- – 1.46 Rating / 28-17 K-D / 98.3 ADR

17-19 (Vertigo) | {cflag:BR} yuurih – 1.43 Rating / 32-26 K-D / 111.6 ADR

16-5 (Mirage) | {cflag:BR} yuurih – 1.98 Rating / 24-10 K-D / 123.5 ADR

MVP: {cflag:BR} Yuri "yuurih" Santos – 1.40 Rating / 76-58 K-D / 103.8 ADR

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/yuurih_miykm8","originalWidth":1920,"originalHeight":1080,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"png"}]

huNter

G2 Esports

The third and fourth games of the day at IEM Dallas would see one team secure a playoff spot, while one team would be eliminated. The fight for the playoff spot stood between FURIA and Cloud9, while MOUZ and Vitality had to do their best to stay alive in this competition.

The action kicked off on Cloud9's pick of Vertigo, but it was the FURIA squad that got the best start. The trio of "arT", "saffee", and "yuurih", working around A and Middle secured a 7-1 lead. "nafany" and co. luckily managed to end the half better than they started, but the Brazilians still held a comfortable five-round lead at halftime.

The Russian squad started the second half much better even after losing the pistol round, but individually just did not seem as strong as the Brazilians who were able to rather comfortably steal away C9's map pick.

FURIA still looked like the best team as they landed on their own pick of Mirage. Even though the momentum went back and forth a couple of times, there were very few times where it actually felt like Cloud9 had the chance of taking it. With a three round winstreak to close the map FURIA secured the series at 2-0 and with it a spot in the playoffs.

16-9 (Vertigo) | {cflag:BR} saffee - 1.51 Rating / 27-14 K-D / 91.9 ADR

16-13 (Mirage) | {cflag:BR} yuurih - 1.38 Rating / 27-20 K-D / 96.0 ADR

MVP: {cflag:BR} Yuri "yuurih" Santos - 1.42 Rating / 48-34 K-D / 96.5 ADR

, the elimination Bo3 started with an extremely close half on MOUZ's choice of Inferno. It was back and forth through all fifteen rounds, but MOUZ ended out on top at 8-7 despite a great effort from "ZywOo".

MOUZ extended their lead by three after the break, but an eight-round streak devastatingly gave Vitality map point. "dexter" and co. were almost able to make the comeback happen, but due to a massive bank account for the French/Danish mix, they were up against rifles every single round, and Vitality just barely ran away with the victory.

The second map of Mirage was nowhere near as close as Inferno. With contributions from every player on the team and a standout performance from "Magisk", Vitality pretty easily secured their map pick and sent MOUZ packing.

14-16 (Inferno) | {cflag:FR} ZywOo - 1.50 Rating / 26-14 K-D / 91.9 ADR

7-16 (Mirage) | {cflag:DK} Magisk - 1.92 Rating / 26-13 K-D / 125.7 ADR

MVP: {cflag:DK} Emil "Magisk" Reif - 1.51 Rating / 45-28 K-D / 105.4 ADR

Magisk

ZywOo

saffee

Cloud9

MOUZ

Team Vitality

It was an all-Brazilian brawl when FURIA and Imperial faced each other in the opening round, and the teams decided to take this Bo1 to the PUG-favorite of Mirage.

"VINI" and "FalleN" were the only Imperial players with a convincing T-side effort, which meant that they had a really hard time winning rounds. On the other side, all of the FURIA players were doing a solid day's work. Noone was below double digits in the kill column at halftime which resulted in a dominating 12-3 lead.

FURIA had a much harder time gathering rounds as they arrived on the side of the terrorists. They did still manage to close it out as a result of the massive halftime lead, but a very solid CT side performance from Imperial gives us hope for them going forward.

16-9 (Mirage) | {cflag:BR} yuurih - 1.30 Rating / 19-13 K-D / 88.1 ADR

FalleN

VINI

Imperial

It was a playoffs-or-elimination match when FURIA and G2 took to the server. When the two last met at IEM Katowice, G2 took a narrow three-map victory.

FURIA started great on the T side of their pick, Vertigo. The Brazilians went up 6-2 and it looked as though they would dominate the first half. Unfortunately for the South Americans, a man called "huNter-" had other plans. The Bosnian led his team back in contention, and to an 8-7 halftime lead.

The G2 squad did not find the same success on the T side as "arT" was relentlessly bullying them around Ramp. Add to this the fact that "yuurih" had an incredible game and you have got a FURIA win.

Moving onto G2's pick of Inferno, it was the unlikely duo of "JaCkz" and "arT" that shone for their respective teams in the first half. As close as can be at 8-7 at halftime these two entry-fraggers both had an ADR of over 100.

The second half continued in the same close fashion and went the full thirty rounds. "KSCERATO" almost pulled out a 1v4 in the dying stages of the map, but "JaCkz" took him down and secured their map pick.

FURIA had a good start to the T side of Ancient which was the last map of the series. The Brazilian squad went up 4-3 but the rest of the half belonged to the Europeans who ended the half on a 7-1 streak.

The second half started with four straight rounds of force-buy wars. All of the rounds were extremely close, but "arT" and co. ended out on top, and drove it home from there with a ten-round winstreak.

G2's Major dreams are over as they get knocked out and see FURIA advance to the quarter-finals.

[twitchClip:pgl/clip/AlertTenuousDadOhMyDog-uLNy2yAFQZqS72sQ]

G2 - FURIA 1-2 | PGL Major Antwerp Legends Stage

12-16 (Vertigo) | {cflag:BR} yuurih - 1.61 Rating / 26-14 K-D / 110.0 ADR

16-14 (Inferno) | {cflag:BA} NiKo - 1.50 Rating / 27-19 K-D / 97.9 ADR

11-16 (Ancient) | {cflag:BR} KSCERATO - 1.47 Rating / 23-13 K-D / 88.0 ADR

MVP: {cflag:RU} Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov - 1.16 Rating / 60-51 K-D / 75.9 ADR

JaCkz

Another game of the 1-1 teams was on the cards when BIG and FURIA took to the server. With only one map to be played the teams chose to take the fight to Vertigo.

"saffee" and "yuurih" were red hot as soon as the whistle blew and contributed heavily throughout the entire first half, which led to a dominating 12-3 T-side for the Brazilians.

BIG came alive after arriving on the T side, and led by the newest addition "Krimbo", the Germans dominatingly went on a 7-1 run. Despite the Germans keeping the game alive for longer than expected, the Brazilians' extreme ramp aggression yielded them three rounds towards the end which saw them close out the map.

With the win, FURIA are now 2-1 and primed for the playoffs, while BIG will have to do it the hard way

BIG - FURIA 0-0 | PGL Major Antwerp Challengers Stage

10-16 (Vertigo) | {cflag:BR} saffee - 1.55 Rating / 25-11 K-D / 84.4 ADR

It is tough times for fans of North American Counter-Strike. The only remaining hope at PGL Antwerp Major is in dire straits after two losses on Day 1 of the Legends Stage.

Against FURIA it was an uphill battle from the get-go. Behind 9-2 in the first half, it did not look like a competitive match for Team Liquid, who had issues dealing with saffee and yuurih, who dominated the NA team.

Ancient is CT-sided though, and in the second half, Team Liquid started to find kills and rounds. But in the end it was too little too late for EliGE and company, who now stares into elimination after two straight losses on Day 1. 

FURIA still has a long way to go, but will continue the fight for the Champions Stage in the 1-1 bracket tomorrow.

FURIA – Team Liquid 1-0 | PGL Major Antwerp Legends Stage

16-9 (Ancient) | {cflag:BR} Yuri 'yuurih' Santos - 1.51 Rating / 25-16 K-D / 104.1 ADR

Team Liquid

Henrique “HEN1” Teles was once one of FURIA’s most powerful weapons, but today the Brazilian AWPer were set to square up against his former teammates at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown. 

The Bo3 began on GODSENT’s pick of Overpass,  where FURIA found themselves the first five rounds. GODSENT finally got themselves on the board in the sixth round but were immediately shut down by FURIA, and by staying aggressive and not allowing their opponents any space to work with “arT” and co. won the CT-side 12-3.

FURIA unsurprisingly kept up the pace, and in spite of heavy resistance from latto and HEN1, closed it out in swift fashion at 16-7.

On Andrei “arT” Piovezan and company’s map pick of Nuke, the FURIA supremacy continued with the Brazilian panthers presenting a solid T side. Their strong offensive gave them a favorable 9-6 lead going into the switch. In the end, the FURIA victory was inevitable as GODSENT not managed to step up their game, resulting in a clear 16-11 win. 

In tomorrow’s title-decider, FURIA will go up against the winner of the second semifinal between MIBR or paiN. A matchup, which is set to kick off at 22.00 (CET) today.

FURIA - GODSENT 2-0 | BLAST Premier Spring Showdown NA

16-7 (Overpass) | {cflag:BR} KSCERATO - 1.50 Rating / 21-11 K-D / 104.3 ADR 

16-11 (Nuke) | {cflag:BR} yuurih - 1.59 Rating / 28-13 K-D / 93.6 ADR 

MVP: {cflag:BR} Henrique “HEN1” Teles - 1.49 Rating / 47-29 K-D / 102.0 ADR

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/hen1_lvbgmf","originalWidth":2048,"originalHeight":1152,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: StarLadder Igor Bezborodov"}]

HEN1 did all he could to take down his former teammates from FURIA

latto

GODSENT

This is what a dominant showing looks like at a tournament. Through six consecutive map wins and their flawless 4-0 record, FURIA has succeeded to grab the favourable Legend spot at the PGL Major Antwerpen RMR Americas.

The last victory came today in the early matchup against their countrymen from MIBR in the 1st place decider game, which ended up being a very one-sided affair in the favour of Andrei “arT” Piovezan and his FURIA soldiers.

FURIA – MIBR 2-0 | PGL Major Antwerp RMR Americas

16-9 (Nuke) | {cflag:BR} saffee – 1.49 Rating / 22-13 K-D / 85.1 ADR

16-4 (Overpass) | {cflag:BR} yuurih – 2.40 Rating / 27-7 K-D / 157.1 ADR

MVP: {cflag:BR} Yuri ”yuurih” Santos – 1.79 Rating / 48-21 K-D / 120.1 ADR

[slugORMA:{"slug":"mibr-star-breaks-down-tears-after-qualifying-major","isNewTab":true}]

2nd | {cflag:BR} MIBR (Challenger Stages)

3rd | {cflag:BR} Imperial (Challenger Stages)

4th | {cflag:US} Complexity (Challenger Stages)

5th | {cflag:US} Liquid (Challenger Stages)

[slugORMA:{"slug":"live-live-americas-rmr-antwerpen-major","isNewTab":true}]

After a hectic first day at the PGL Antwerp Major Americas RMR, it's time to look forward to today's schedule. If you want an overview of the scores and standings in the important qualifier, then you can check out the article below.

[slugORMA:{"slug":"na-strikes-back-second-round-american-rmr","isNewTab":true}]

The first matchups will kick off today at 11:00 (CET). You can watch the schedule and all the matches down below. 

It has been a great year for FaZe so far. The monumental win at IEM Katowice has kickstarted the FaZe project under the guidance of their Danish in-game leader Finn “karrigan” Andersen.

Against FURIA in the semi-finals of ESL Pro League Season 15, FaZe once again showcased their versatility and firepower. Against the aggressive Brazilians, FaZe managed to the right solutions under heavy pressure.

On Inferno, FURIA came out strong on their CT-side. Yuri 'yuurih' Santos was practically unplayable going 13-3 in the first half alone. But then the roles switched at the break, and suddenly the holes and gaps in FURIA’s T-side were revealed. Now it was Robin 'ropz' Kool who got activated and the Estonian did not disappoint. FaZe hauled in the lead and won Inferno 16-13.

Despite losing the first map, FURIA still had the energy and fighting spirit to turn the match around. On Mirage the Brazilians again created a solid lead going 13-8 up before losing the momentum allowing FaZe to catch them one more time. But then FaZe caught fire one more time. This time it was the longest-standing member of the roster, Håvard "rain" Nygaard with the impact. The Norwegian played a key part in forcing the match to overtime.

Here FaZe proved too strong for FURIA, who had run out of the energy and drive that is necessary to keep the aggressive playstyle going. FaZe won 19-16 to lock in their second consecutive Grand Final in a row.

FaZe will fight ENCE for the title tomorrow in a best of five match.

FaZe - FURIA 2-0 | ESL Pro League Season 15

16-13 (Inferno) | {cflag:BR} yuurih - 1.48 Rating / 25-13 K-D / 93.7 ADR

19-16 (Mirage) | {cflag:EE} ropz - 1.43 Rating / 32-21 K-D / 97.0 ADR

MVP: {cflag:EE} Robin 'ropz' Kool - 1.26 Rating / 53-37 K-D / 85.6 ADR

rain

ropz

FaZe

The first quarter-final of the day had the reliable stoic Danes of Astralis going up against the wild, crazy and talented Brazilians of FURIA.

The Bo3 kicked off on Ancient and the map-pickers of Astralis enjoyed a relatively successful T-side on what is commonly known as the most CT-sided map in the pool. After fifteen rounds they were sitting on seven, and they might have taken a couple more if it wasn’t for the ninja defuse abilities of “saffee”.

FURIA raised the tempo of the match as they hit the T-side, which netted them a small streak pushing their lead to four rounds. But FURIA soon started bleeding rounds, and like a shark in the water “k0nfig” smelt the blood of the Brazilians, and soon they were devoured as the Danes secured their map pick after a dominant CT-side.

The second map of the series was FURIA’s pick of Mirage, which they comfortably won 16-11 when they faced the Danes at IEM Katowice. They would now have to make a repeat performance to stay alive at EPL.

Maybe spurred on by the fact that they were playing for their tournament life, the Brazilian squad absolutely pummeled the Astralis defense in the early stages of the first half. The Danes started to show signs of life towards the end of the half but were not able to stop the relentless pressure of the FURIA offense, and now had to make a heroic comeback down 10-5 at halftime.

FURIA, led by IGL "arT", continued their assault after the break and impressively only allowed the Danish squad to take three more rounds before all was said and done.

The deciding map of the series was Nuke, and after a knife round win, Astralis chose to start on the CT-side.

The Danes got off to a great start on this third and final map, going up 5-1 and looking strong. That is when FURIA started abusing the upper site with rushes through lobby. Astralis struggled heavily with containing the fast plays, and whenever they did succeed, “yuurih” somehow were able to claw it back with some fantastic plays in disadvantageous positions. FURIA led by 8-7 at the break.

FURIA continued their stylish display as they completely slaughtered the Danes in the second half. The Brazilians were so dominating that they didn’t let Astralis get a single round on the T-side, and the map ended at 16-7.

FURIA - Astralis 2-1 | ESL Pro League Season 15

13-16 (Ancient) | {cflag:DK} k0nfig - 1.55 Rating / 30-17 K-D / 106.0 ADR

16-8 (Mirage) | {cflag:BR} arT - 1.77 Rating / 26-14 K-D / 106.1 ADR

16-7 (Nuke) | {cflag:BR} yuurih - 1.99 Rating / 30-10 K-D / 118.8 ADR

MVP: {cflag:BR} Yuri "yuurih" Santos - 1.33 Rating / 60-43 K-D / 89.7 ADR

k0nfig

The 27-year-old Rafael “saffee” Costa has had an up and down tournament at ESL Pro League Season 15. The Brazilian AWP'er ended the group phase with two stellar maps against FaZe to help secure his team a direct spot in the Quarter-Finals at the event.

But earlier in the tournament, saffee found himself at the bottom of the scoreboard including a 5-25 K-D map against ENCE. 

- He is still struggling to be more comfortable. The way he plays makes it hard to set in and play at the best you can, FURIA's in-game leader Andrei "arT" Piovezan explained at a press conference. 

Rafael “saffee” Costa has only been on the team for three months, but there is much more to come from the former paiN sniper, according to arT.

- With time he is going to be more comfortable and have more confidence, so he is going to be a beast soon.

In the FURIA press conference, you can also hear Yuri "yuurih" Boian speak about how tough it was for the Brazilian roster to get used to communicating in English while Paytyn "junior" Johnson was on the team.

FURIA and saffee will play their next match at ESL Pro League later today when they face Astralis.

The Brazilians from FURIA seem to have found their form here three months into 2022, with the team presenting a stunning performance at ESL Pro League Season 15. The South American heavy hitter is now alone in front of Group B after taking down Vitality this Friday.

Andrei “arT” Piovezan and his men began the match in flying fashion on Vertigo where they quickly showed the French/Danish squad what they could expect in today’s matchup – fast-paced Counter-Strike. The aggressive and offensive playstyle from FURIA kept giving Vitality big problems on the first map, which the 16-4 scoreline in favor of FURIA clearly proved.

On Inferno, Vitality looked much more confident and comfortable, despite FURIA’s powerful duo in yuurih and KSCERATO continuing their strong levels from Vertigo. The two teams were tough to separate in the first half - however, after the switch, Vitality pushed the throttle on their CT side and managed to win four consecutive retakes, which in the end secured them a 16-12 map win.

The brawl continued on Nuke, where FURIA came out strong on their CT-side. A 9-6 lead at the break left some hope in the Vitality camp. And despite a good start to the second half, the French/Danish roster could not distance themselves from FURIA on the scoreboard. The Brazilians closed out multiple rounds in the end winning some important clutches, while Vitality once again missed their star player, Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut, who was playing well below his normal level of Counter-Strike on all three maps. A 16-14 victory for FURIA puts them into a big step closer to the playoffs, while Team Vitality needs to win their last two matches to stay in contention for a spot in the next phase of the tournament.

FURIA – Vitality 2-1 | ESL Pro League Season 15 (Group B)

16-4 (Vertigo) | {cflag:BR} yuurih – 2.09 Rating / 21-10 K-D / 139.8 ADR

	30 days	90 days
Fixture count	0	0
Maps count	0	0

yuurih

Player stats

Articles mentioning yuurih

MongolZ, Astralis, Virtus.pro, and FURIA Eliminated from IEM Cologne 2024

Players to watch at the Opening Stage of PGL Copenhagen Major

Rio in ecstasy as FURIA win opener against ENCE

Live: ESL Pro League Season Group D (Day 1)

FURIA secure Semi-final spot over G2

FURIA secure playoffs at IEM Dallas, MOUZ eliminated

FURIA stand tall in Brazilian derby

FURIA through to playoffs, G2 eliminated

BIG fall to FURIA

FURIA smash Team Liquid on Ancient

FURIA book Grand Final spot over HEN1 and GODSENT

FURIA secure Legend spot at PGL Major Antwerp over MIBR

Live: Americas RMR Antwerpen Major

FaZe reach another Grand Final!

FURIA secure semi-final spot over Astralis

arT on saffee: He is going to be a beast soon

FURIA continues win streak in Group B

FURIA secure playoffs spot in Stockholm with victory over Entropiq

Today in CS:GO - Friday 8/10 - 2021

FURIA opens Group D with sensational win

Follow Pley