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FaZe Clan have eliminated world number one Team Vitality from IEM Sydney (IEM Fall) with a 2-1 victory in Group A’s lower bracket.
Both teams had earlier dropped to the elimination zone after overtime losses to GamerLegion and BetBoom, respectively.
The series extended well into the night and proved to be one the better Counter-Strike 2 series that we have witnessed so far.
Fell in overtime on Overpass.
Barely pushed Inferno over the finish line.
Started Nuke down 1:8 before stringing 11 back-to-back together.@FaZeClan STAY ALIVE over @TeamVitality in the #IEM Sydney opening matches!Next they take on @natusvincere tomorrow in the lower bracket🥵 pic.twitter.com/NhsX4DDpGb
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 16, 2023
Vitality took the lead on Overpass on the CT side, eventually securing the win in overtime.
FaZe bounced back on Inferno in a closely contested match, after preventing several potential momentum shifts in crucial rounds.
The decider on Nuke saw Vitality with an 8-1 lead, but FaZe mounted an unbelievable comeback, putting together 11 straight rounds on their way to match and series point.
Finn “karrigan” Andersen noted that securing four weapon rounds on the terrorist side was enough to make a comeback possible.
FaZe excelled on the CT side, with karrigan himself contributing significantly to secure the series win.
Vitality faced a tough day with two challenging losses in a short span. Their earlier defeat to BetBoom in the opening round of Group A saw them lose a game; they had a 9-4 lead on Mirage, only to lose in overtime.
After coming into the event as the esports betting sites favourite and world number one from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Vitality’s last place finish and day one exit is far from ideal at the first CS2 tournament on LAN.
Earlier on, Apeks secured a dominant 2-0 victory over VERTEX in the lower bracket of Group A, advancing to the lower-bracket semi-final.
The European team displayed a strong performance, starting with a convincing win on Mirage (13-5) and sealing the deal on Anubis (13-11).
The series kicked off on Mirage, where Apeks outclassed their opponents, accumulating a significant 10-round lead on the CT side and ultimately securing a 13-5 victory.
Aleksandar “CacaNito” Kjulukoski and Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski stood out for their team with impactful plays on the A site.
Anubis began with the Australians winning the pistol round, and initially, it looked like they might mount a comeback.
However, Apeks regained their footing, displayed confidence in their aggressive plays, and managed to secure a 7-5 lead on their CT side.
VERTEX showcased an improved performance during their defence, and Christian “ADDICT” Pendleton’s highlight rounds brought them to an 11-10 lead.
But in a crucial moment, they faltered against Apeks’ A rush, leading to a hard-fought victory for Apeks on their map choice.
For VERTEX, their journey at their home event came to an end.
The Australian team failed to secure a map win in Sydney but managed to push Apeks to the limit during their match on Anubis.
While two teams were eliminated from IEM Sydney on day one, both BetBoom Team and MOUZ booked their place in the playoffs after winning through to the upper-bracket final of Group A.
Narrowly avoiding being dragged into OT on their own map pick of Anubis, @apeksgg nail down the series 2:0 over @VertexESC, who are now eliminated from #IEM Sydney 2023.
Mirage 13:5
Anubis 13:11Up next on the B Stream 👇@BetBoomTeam 🆚 @GamerLegion pic.twitter.com/0nin03qw2L
— Intel® Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 16, 2023
Tuesday’s IEM Sydney matches
- Complexity (+162) vs G2 Esports (-227.27) @ 1:30pm AEDT
- Monte (-333.33) vs Grayhound (+240) @ 1:30pm AEDT
- ENCE (-250) vs Fnatic (+175) @ 4:30pm AEDT
- Lynn Vision (+350) vs Cloud9 (-625) @ 4:30pm AEDT
- Apeks (+100) vs GamerLegion (-138.89) @7:30pm AEDT
- Natus Vincere (+350) vs FaZe Clan (-625) @ 7:30pm AEDT
