FURIA has edged past 9z in a tense South American derby that had CS fans on the edge of their seats from the opening round. The Brazilian org pushed through adversity after dropping the opening map, rallying back to silence their rivals and book their spot in the semis.
Map Veto
- 9z banned Anubis
- FURIA banned Ancient
- 9z picked Dust 2
- FURIA picked Mirage
- FURIA banned Inferno
- 9z banned Nuke
- Overpass was left over
Map 1: Dust 2 [Pick: 9z, Win: 9z, Final Score: 13-8]
9z had an amazing start to the T-side of Dust 2 with back-to-back flawless executions, leaving little room for error for FURIA to capitalize on. It wasn’t until the sixth round that the Brazilian org managed to grab a foothold for itself and put up their first round on the board. However, they failed to secure follow-ups as 9z shut them down once again. At the end of the first half, 9z found themselves in a strong lead as the scoreboard read 9-3.
FURIA attempted to retaliate, securing a pistol-round win on their own T-side and following it up with a couple more wins. But the lead proved too big to close, and 9z eventually finished out the game with a score of 13-8.
Map 2: Mirage [Pick: FURIA, Win: FURIA, Final Score: 13-9]
FURIA looked to secure an early lead on their map pick by grabbing the T-side pistol round, but a force-buy from 9z was enough to shut them down. From then on, 9z maintained their momentum to grab five consecutive round wins, but struggled towards the end of the half as FURIA chased down the gap and ended the half 6-6.
Despite losing the second pistol round of Mirage, FURIA proved to have the stronger CT-side on their map pick, conceding only three rounds over the half before closing out game 2 with a score of 13-9.
Map 3: Overpass [Win: FURIA, Final Score: 13-6]
9z opened the final map of the series on the right foot, taking the pistol round on the T-side along with the follow-up anti-eco. FURIA, however, hit back hard in the following rounds, showcasing their strength on the defending side with back-to-back wins to seize a 5-2 lead. The Argentine side could only add one more round before the break, with FURIA carrying a commanding 9-3 lead into the second half.
9z weren’t about to give up so easily, though. A pistol-round win on the CT-side helped the team claw their way back into the game, stringing together a few consecutive round wins to bring the score to 9-6. However, FURIA proved to be the better team on the day, regrouping to close out the game with a score of 13-6.
With this victory, FURIA once again proved why they’re considered one of the favorites to win the prestigious cup. Needless to say, the CS2 community will eagerly look forward to the Brazilian team taking on Aurora in the Semi-Finals, scheduled for 20th June.
