On the opening day of the BLAST Premier Fall Final, Natus Vincere, G2 Esports, Vitality and Liquid claimed opening round victories in their respective series.
On the opening day of the BLAST Premier Fall Final, Natus Vincere, G2 Esports, Vitality and Liquid claimed opening round victories in their respective series.
Natus Vincere (NaVi), fresh off their ESL Pro League Season 20 victory, started their BLAST Premier Fall Final run with a dominant 2-0 (13-5, 13-10) win over Team Falcons.
A perfect start to the Fall Final for @natusvincere ✅ #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/ofwwwngSmC
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) September 25, 2024
Despite barely any rest after their last Counter-Strike 2 event, NaVi, led by Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, secured a comfortable victory on Anubis and a more competitive win on Ancient.
Justinas “jL” Lekavicius shone in a critical 2v4 defence that helped NaVi take the second map, securing their seventh consecutive win and extending their hot streak to a 12-1 record.
Their next challenge will be against G2 Esports, who continued their dominance over FaZe Clan with a 2-1 (13-7, 6-13, 13-9) victory.
.@G2CSGO kick off their journey in Copenhagen with a W ✅ #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/fbRK4aiO8m
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) September 25, 2024
After a rough start on Inferno and a strong counter-terrorist half on Mirage, G2 mounted a comeback, helped by clutch performances from Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski and his supporting cast.
FaZe showed flashes of their old form, but were unable to capitalise on key moments, leaving G2 with a much-needed confidence boost.
In other action, Vitality demolished Astralis 2-0 (13-0, 13-4) in their debut with Casper “cadiaN” Møller, allowing just four rounds across two maps.
.@TeamVitalityCS steamroll @AstralisCS to take their opening series ✅ #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/ptEl4VR8bN
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) September 25, 2024
Astralis, grappling with roster controversies and fan pressure, struggled to find their footing, while Vitality bounced back strong after a disappointing ESL Pro League quarter-final exit.
Lastly, Liquid earned a hard-fought 2-1 (3-13, 13-11, 13-10) win over Spirit to advance to the playoffs.
An incredible game to end the opening day and it's @TeamLiquidCS who come out on top! ✅ #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/PdVoshy0uB
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) September 25, 2024
Despite a shaky start on Dust2, Liquid rallied on Nuke, with Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis and Keith “NAF” Markovic delivering clutch performances.
They now face a rematch with Vitality for a spot in the semi-finals.