Fnatic come out on top in the quarter-finals, defeating the underdogs from CIS, Gambit. They will proceed to the semi-finals to face Astralis.
Fnatic win on de_Cache - 10:5, 6:2 (16:7)
Fnatic start on the CounterTerrorist side.
Gambit Esports began the pistol round of the first map by sweeping Fnatic, quickly grasping a 1:0 lead, hoping to take the subsequent rounds that come after winning the pistol. This was not the case, however, as the firepower behind Fnatic was too much for the CIS team, stealing away the second round. Fnatic managed to take two more rounds, before losing one, but then brought it back once again, with strong plays from Simon “Twist” Eliasson. The half progressed on, with Fnatic winning anti-ecos, as Gambit could not create a healthy economy, destroying their ability to come back. Time after time, Gambit continued to get decimated by the Swedes, who were simply out-fragging them, seemingly creating entries out of nowhere. After seven rounds in a row, Gambit finally managed to take a victory, riding on the back of Dauren “AdreN” Kystaubayev, with an aggressive play into A main. The final three rounds of the half were granted to Gambit, mostly from the play of AdreN, once again, forcing the Swedes down, each time coming to A. The half-time score ended at 10:5, in favour of Fnatic.
The second half kicked off with the CIS players making a quick play to B, quickly eliminating the opposition on the site, and decidedly decimating the retake, not even losing a player. Once again, the hopes Gambit were taken away by the pistol skill within Fnatic, with Dennis “Dennis” Edman managing a powerful 3k, wielding only a desert eagle, on B site. Fnatic took the next two rounds, after winning the force, leading into the 20th round, where Gambit managed to buy once again; This was properly countered, however, as Fnatic played aggressively in middle, destroying Gambit, before they could make any real moves. Match point came easily for the Swedes in the second half, with Gambit’s A hold not enough to fight the Swedes back in their attempt at a retake. Despite facing unbeatable odds, the CIS side brought back one more round, executing a flawless take on A site, pushing on the entry frag of Rustem “Mou” Telepov, tearing apart Fnatic, making the score 15:7. The final round of the game ended with a series of quick frags from Fnatic, holding A with a fury, closing out the first map, 16:7, bringing disappointment to the heroics of AdreN.
Gambit win on de_Overpass - 12:3, 4:0 (16:3)
Gambit start on the Terrorist side.
Gambit began on the T side of Overpass, making a quick play toward A site, taking duels against the Swedish players, Rustem “Mou” Telepov crushing them, claiming a thrilling 4k for the first round. Gambit took the following three rounds, with the fourth coming close, but closing out in a 1v2 from the Ukrainian IGL, Danylo “Zeus” Teslenko. It wasn’t until the sixth round of play that Fnatic claimed their first victory, holding B site against the relentless push of Gambit, but ultimately being reset in the following round, losing a 2vs4, once again on the B site. Gambit managed to secure three more rounds in a row, leading at 9 to 1, before Fnatic would take another round, with Joakim “Disco Doplan” Gidetun picking off four of the Gambit players. Once again, Gambit pulled back, however, breaking the Fnatic economy, not allowing them to string more than one round together. The final three rounds of the half were split, with Gambit taking two, and Fnatic responding in the final round, ending with a 12:3 score line, with the CIS side dominating.
The second half kicked off with Gambit once again winning the pistol round, pushing the score to 13:3, set on the path of victory. As expected, Gambit managed to conquer the following three rounds, closing out the second match with strong plays from all five members, particularly from the youngster, Abay "H0bbit" Khasenov, closing out the game as the top fragger from both sides. The final score from the second map was 16:3, bringing in a third map to the second quarter finals of the ELEAGE Major.
Fnatic win de_Dust2 - 9:6, 7:1 (16:7)
Fnatic start on the Terrorist Side.
The third map of play began with Fnatic taking the first pistol round, breaking the streak of pistol wins from the CIS team, rushing forward with a good start on the Terrorist side of Dust 2. After taking the pistol, Fnatic took the next seven rounds, destroying Gambit in every aspect of of the game, never allowing them to build an economy or have any room in the rounds. Fnatic continued their destruction until the ninth round, when Gambit made a successful retake on A site, forcing KRiMZ to save, defusing the bomb, losing just one player. The victory in round nine was not alone, with the CIS side taking the next round, but still having to face the deep economy that Fnatic built during the first eight rounds of the game. The next two rounds of the game were taken by Gambit, mostly predicated on the play of both Rustem “Mou” Telepov and Abay "H0bbit" Khasenov, granting a score line of 8:3, still in favour of the Swedes. Fnatic quickly struck back with a ninth round, with Olof “Olofmeister” Kajbjer pulling off a miracle double with an AWP; despite this, the CIS team would pull back once again, winning the final three rounds of the half, closing out at 9:6, with the Swedes holding the slight lead.
The second half of the final map began with the Swedish giants taking the pistol round once again, forcing their lead to four rounds, in rather convincing fashion. The next two rounds also went the way of Fnatic, despite Gambit achieving a bomb plant in the third, but were unable to hold off the onslaught of Swedes moving in to retake the site. In an attempt to shake up the pace of the game, Gambit decided on a rush to the A site, wielding tec-9s, hoping to catch Fnatic off guard; once again, however, the most they achieved was a bomb plant, unable to hold against the retake. After losing five rounds in a row, Gambit finally retaliate, winning a long take on A, executing Fnatic on the retake, but still trailing by seven rounds, barely holding on to the final map. After Gambit's first round victory in the second half, the Swedes once again pulled back, reaching match point, with a score line of 15:7. The CIS team failed to secure victory once again, losing the third map 16:7. Just as the first map of the series, the victory of Fnatic was predicated on strong play from Simon “Twist” Eliasson, who is showing an exceptional form. Fnatic will move on to the Semi-Finals, where they will face the ruthless Danes of Astralis.
