Falcons are through to the playoffs of BLAST Open Rotterdam, beating FURIA with a 2-1 scoreline. Perfect defense on the first and final map from Falcons sent FURIA home as they head into the playoffs with tougher challenges awaiting.
VETO
- Falcons removed Overpass
- FURIA removed Ancient
- Falcons picked Mirage
- FURIA picked Dust2
- Falcons removed Inferno
- FURIA removed Anubis
- Nuke was left over
Map 1:Mirage; Pick: Falcons; Winner: Falcons
3-0 start for FURIA puts Falcons on the back foot right from the get-go. As the Falcons played chase, they struggled to get 5 rounds by the end of the first half, making the map competitive. Levelling the scoreline, Falcons dropped the ball in the first gun round as FURIA managed to put together 4 in a row before Falcons could get back. Converting their first round with a retake, Falcons’ offense found their footing late in the game, which gave them the room to recover the half and build on it to hit series point before FURIA could win a round. The perfect close to the game summarised a dominant comeback, with the Falcons edging the Brazilians 13-11. High-impact performance from NiKo, with 18 kills, turned the tide for Falcons as Falcons outlasted FURIA.
Map 2: Dust2; Pick: FURIA; Winner: FURIA
3K from NiKo opened Dust2 for Falcons on the defense. The first gun round going the way of FURIA put them in control of the game, who managed to get the better of the Falcons’ defense for 6 rounds in a row before the Falcons could hit back. As they continued to struggle, FURIA racked up 8 rounds as Falcons moved to their offense with 4 to their name. Winning the pistol, Falcons managed to level the scoreline and built on it to hit map point before FURIA won the final round of regulation, taking the series to OT. Failing to win anything beyond a single round, FURIA breezed past Falcons to close out the map with a 16-13 scoreline.
Map 3: Nuke; Pick: Decider; Winner: Falcons
Losing out on the pistol, FURIA hit the board with their typical 3rd round half buy only to lose out the next round. Following back and forth, FURIA put together a streak of 8 rounds to secure a massive 9-3 lead before switching sides. Winning the pistol, the Falcons started closing in on the Brazilian side. Totally dominant and rock-solid across their defense, the Falcons dominated and lost only a single round in the process. 13-10 close to the game from Falcons booked their spot in the Playoffs of the BLAST Open Rotterdam over FURIA. The 23-kill masterclass from m0NESY after two unimpressive maps put FURIA to bed and ensured his team’s spot in the playoffs.
Disappointing performances from FURIA after their stunning start to the year speak to how teams have figured them out. FalleN is known to solve issues like this, but unless they can yield something soon, they will end the season having failed to meet expectations.
