Day two of the ECS Season 3 LAN finals has concluded, determining the four semi-finalists to duke it out tomorrow.
G2 Esports vs. 
OpTic Gaming - 2:0
de_Overpass - 16:5 (11:4, 5:1)
G2 Esports kicked off to a strong start, securing the first pistol round of the series on the offensive. Team Captain, Richard "shox" Papillon dropped three members of the Green Wall, securing his team a foot into the first map. Opting (no pun intended) to force-buy, the International mix found themselves in a 4v4 situation in the second round, as the teams exchanged frags. In a bid to save their equipment, OpTic backed up, conceding the round to the Frenchmen. Fighting against G2 on the defence seemed a difficult task for the Americans, as they were consistently giving up rounds. This situation persisted all the way to a 9:0 deficit, and only then were OpTic able to get a digit on the scoreboard at 1:9. The Green Wall followed up with an additional round to decrease the gap to 2:9, after Keith "NAF_FLY" Markovic clutched out a 1v2 situation and subsequently defused the bomb. The remaining four rounds were split down the middle for the two teams, as the initial have concluded at 11:4 in favour of the Frenchmen. As for the latter half, it proved to be short-lived, as all but a single round was conceded by G2 Esports. The initial two rounds once again fell in favour of G2, in large degree thanks to a solid second pistol. Retaliation was seen from OpTic on round eighteen, as the team decided to go all-in and force-buy, turning out to be a positive decision, as a 4K from Tarik "tarik" Celik single-handedly won the team their fifth, and final, round of the map. The Frenchmen ended in flashy manner, as a back-to-back 3k and 4k from Alexandre "bodyy" Pianaro placed the team at match point. Another two kills in round 21 from the aforementioned player led to a 3v5 situation for OpTic, one they simply could not come back from, closing the first map at 16:5 for G2 Esports.
de_Inferno - 16:6 (10:5, 6:1)
A stunning performance from Richard "shox" Papillon, as he opens the second map with yet another 3K in a pistol round, furthering his team off the bat at a 1:0 score on the T side of Inferno. The Frenchmen followed up with another three rounds, extending their lead to a decent 4:0. Round 5 saw OpTic land their first round of the map, as through a team effort the Ts were shut down. Unwilling to give room for momentum to develop, Richard "shox" Papillon ensures the expiration of three defenders with the AK-47, shutting down the International mix, in addition to extending G2's lead at 5:1. Continuing the theme, the Frenchmen proceeded to grab a couple rounds for themselves, stopping at 7:1. This is where things started to sway from side to side, as a brawl ensued. Upon reaching a 2:7 score, the teams went splits for the remaining six rounds, concluding the half at 10:5 in favour of G2 Esports. After switching to the defence, the Frenchmen kept it brief, reminiscent of the first map. Having secured their fourth consecutive pistol round, the team went on to grab a further two rounds at 13:5. OpTic stood up in the 19th round, able to land a 6th round, thanks to 2Ks from Keith "NAF_FLY" Markovic and Tarik "tarik" Celik. Despite the reassuring performance, the team's dreams were single-handedly crushed by Nathan "NBK" Schmitt, who mowed down four members of the Green Wall with his UMP-45, with G2 just two rounds from victory at 14:6. Aforementioned two rounds passed in swift fashion, both in favour of the Frenchmen, who as a result, had secured their placement in the semi-finals of ECS Season 3.
Fnatic vs. Team Liquid - 1:2
de_Mirage - 6:16 (5:10, 1:6)
Liquid kick the series off with a strong pistol performance, whereby Nick "nitr0" Cannella stuck the defuse whilst Olof "olofmeister" Kajbjer was still alive, and successfully defused. The American was subsequently dispatched by the Swede, however the digit was scored in TL's favour. Disheartened by the prior result, Fnatic decided to force buy, entering the second round with a mix of pistols. Dennis "dennis" Edmann and Robin "flusha" Rönnquist stepped up, grabbing two frags each, with the latter additionally planting the bomb. The teams equalised at 1:1, with Liquid's economy in a strange place after the loss to a force buy. Force buy galore, as the Americans take the fight to Fnatic, offering some of their own medicine. Despite working against a fully bought Fnatic, the team was able to dispatch all members of the opposition, leading with a 2:1 score line. Rounds were dealt out in singular fashion, as Team Liquid was absolutely dominating Fnatic. Round 7 saw a 4K from Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski, inspiring his team to further extend the lead at 6:1. Inspire he did, as youngster Russell "Twistzz" van Dulken stepped up in rounds 9 and 10, securing back-to-back 3Ks to produce a 9:1 score line, with Fnatic quaking in their boots. Utterly disgruntled by their first map run, Fnatic stepped up. Three rounds swung in the Swedes' favour, with Jesper "JW" Wecksell grabbing an AWP 4K in round 12. With only three rounds remaining at 3:9, Fnatic managed to snatch a couple rounds in their favour, whilst Liquid closed out doubling their opponents' score at 10:5. As for the latter half, it saw Liquid grab their second consecutive pistol round, followed by two more. On their first full buy Fnatic managed to shut down the Americans, however this would be the single victory over the course of the latter half, as Team Liquid pummelled the Swedes in the remainder, closing out at 16:6.
de_Train - 16:12 (8:7, 8:5)
Set on bringing themselves back into the game, Fnatic burst onto Train with a strong B hit, and an even stronger performance from Freddy "KRiMZ" Johansson, as the Swede managed to secure a bomb plant, complimenting it with three kills onto the defending side and a subsequent pistol victory. Unable to post a threat to the Swedish aggression, Team Liquid conceded a string of five rounds, faced with a 0:5 deficit. A double AWP setup was the answer to their worries, as Josh "jdm" Marzano and Nick "nitr0" Cannella find four members of Fnatic, in addition to their first round of the map at 1:5. The following round saw another 2k from Liquid's AWPer, with the Americans seemingly pulling themselves back into the match at 2:5. Unfortunately the climb was rudely interrupted by the Swedish roster, that went on to secure the following two rounds, extending their lead to a 7:2 score line. The mentality and perseverance was with Team Liquid on this occasion, as despite the deficit the team focused and started running away with rounds consistently, all the way to a 6:7 score, just a round short of equalising. The teams called it half time after splitting a round each at 8:7 in favour of Fnatic. A dominant stint from the Swedes to kick off the latter half, as the team managed to defuse three consecutive bomb plants, followed by a team ace to extend their lead to 12:7. Looking at a decent economy in large thanks to the fact that the team wasn't eliminated all aforementioned rounds, Team Liquid started on their journey back into the game, as the Americans managed to not only land some rounds, but all in all equalised the score line at 12 apiece. The equaliser was short-lived, as Fnatic were determined to take it to map three, securing the final four rounds in the favour of their CT side, culminating map two at 16:12.
de_Inferno - 6:16 (5:10, 1:6)
A map that would determine the fates of the two clashing teams saw a successful T sided start from Fnatic. The Swedes were able to dispatch each and every single member of Team Liquid, securing the economy for upcoming rounds. Unwilling to give up an early lead, Liquid force bought and took the fight to Fnatic, successfully so, as the team managed to defuse the bomb in a post-plant situation, with members retaining their prior bought equipment, in addition to anti-eco weapons purchased by the opposition. This proved to be a pivot point for the International mix, as they persistently crushed not only dreams, but rounds. Through consistent pressure Team Liquid were able to extend their lead beyond an early round upset, running away with a whopping seven consecutive rounds prior to Fnatic being able to retaliate. Faced with a 1:7 deficit, the Swedes managed to grab round 9, however this was followed up by further pummelling from Liquid, as the team had extended their round lead to a whopping 10:2, placing Fnatic in quite the predicament. Employing their extensive experience and extraordinary capabilities, the Swedish roster was able to secure the final three rounds, slightly softening the impact at a 5:10 deficit. Unfortunately for Fnatic, the second pistol round was accrued by Team Liquid, meaning the likely outcome of losing the following two. The prophecy was fulfilled, with the Swedes facing a 5:13 disappointment. Able to secure but a single round in the following four, Fnatic fell fighting at 6:16, whilst Team Liquid were off to prepare for their decider match against Astralis.
FaZe Clan vs. G2 Esports - 2:0
de_Overpass - 16:10 (7:8, 9:2)
A convincing start from the Frenchmen, as they find themselves in a highly favourable 3v1 situation against Håvard "rain" Nygaard, who was unable to land a clutch, conceding the first round to G2 Esports. FaZe decided to force up, howere it proved a futile endeavour, as the Frenchmen made quick work of the European mix with their anti-eco weaponry, in turn destroying the opponents' economy, all the while bolstering their own. G2 persisted with this performance till a 5:0 surplus, following which FaZe Clan started sporadically producing rounds. Back and forth motion ensued, with neither team able to secure a stable economy or significant string of consecutive rounds. Such a dynamic lead to an extremely close conclusion to the half, with G2 in the lead at 8:7. In the beginning of the latter half FaZe took the reigns and started dominating early on. After securing the pistol round, one that involved a bomb plant, the European mix was feeling comfortable with the boosted economy. Farm guns were purchased, and the fulfilled their function in the following rounds, further extending the lead of FaZe in more ways than one. This was the reality that G2 Esports had to face all the way through to an 8:12 deficit, having conceded five consecutive rounds. In the coming three rounds the Frenchmen managed to go two rounds to one, however this proved to be all she wrote, as G2 amount to a total of ten, whilst the FaZe crew pushed ahead, crushing the semi-final dreams of their opponents. Upon reaching a 13:10 score, the European mix slammed three rounds in a row, closing at 16:10.
de_Train - 16:11 (10:5, 6:6)
On this occasion the European mix of FaZe Clan got off on the right foot, as the team was able to make work of the entire French roster. With not a single member alive, G2 conceded the pistol round to their opponents. The following round saw a successful bomb plant from FaZe Clan, complementing the team's economic lead, however G2 Esports had their sights on shutting that down, which they partially did in round three, having outperformed the Ts in a post-plant situation. This development saw the birth of momentum for the French, as they managed to accrue further rounds, and for a short period of time even secure a lead at 3:2. This lead, however, was short-lived, as FaZe were determined to secure the half with as comfortable a round cushion as conceivable. Faced with a 2:3 deficit, the European mix persevered, securing three rounds of their own, going from a deficit to a surplus at 5:3. G2 Esports managed to get their two cents in, and by cents I mean rounds, as the teams saw a 5:5 stalemate at round 10. The Europeans entered the monster FaZe, decimating the Frenchmen in the following five rounds to produce a 10:5 half for themselves. The latter half kicked off with G2 Esports grabbing the pistol round, followed by a force buy from FaZe. The risky manoeuvre proved effective, as not only did the Europeans demolish the opposition's economy, they also managed to secure a further three rounds off the back of the early momentum and economy swing, extending their lead to a scary 14:6. With a lot riding on the second, and potentially final map of the series, G2 had a pep talk and started working on rounds. In convincing fashion the Frenchmen clocked in a total of five consecutive rounds, however despite the monumental effort it was all for nought, as FaZe Clan crushed dreams by securing a post-plant victory, followed by a team ace, which consequently ended the series as the European mix had reached a 16:11 score.
Astralis vs. Team Liquid - 2:1
de_Train - 16:4 (12:3, 4:1)
The final match of the day saw Team Liquid kick off on the CT side, able to secure the pistol along with the follow up round. It seemed like the Americans were about to roll out, however their momentum was abruptly stopped by the Danes. Largely thanks to the fact that Astralis managed to secure bomb plants in the previous two rounds, the economy for the team wasn't terrible, allowing for an early third round full buy. It worked out for the Danes, who went on to dominate further, sustaining a formidable economy throughout. Four rounds were accrued by Astralis, leading to a 4:2 lead. Liquid managed to pull a round their way on round 7, however this was succeeded by an absolute stomp of a remainder, as Astralis strung together none less than eight rounds, closing out the half 12:3. Liquid's consolation was a second consecutive pistol round victory, however much like in the previous half, it did not lead to developing momentum, instead a disappointing loss, whereby the Danes managed to force up and successfully dismantle the offense, as well as following up with the three remaining rounds needed to close out map one at a dominant 16:4.
de_Overpass - 9:16 (6:9, 3:7)
A pistol round was finally secured by the Danes on the T side, as Astralis blast into map two with a successful bomb plant. In usual fashion the following two rounds were accrued, however on this occasion momentum would not be developed by the match-up favourites, as Team Liquid shut the aggressors down on their full buy in round two, leading to a 1:3 score in favour of the Danes. Unwilling to repeat the mistakes made on the previous map, Liquid started addressing issues early, to great success, as the Americans managed to punch in five rounds, two of which were secured in post-plant situations. In the remainder of the half the Danes managed to secure rounds in sporadic fashion, however the majority of them went in favour of Team Liquid at 9:6. Fired up, the American roster entered the second half with fire in their eyes, set on securing map two. The pistol round was secured, following two additional rounds to double their opponents' score at 12:6. Much like the previous half, the Danes were unable to consistently produce rounds, leading to only three falling in their favour, whilst Team Liquid slammed the remaining four to push the series onto map three at 16:9.
de_Inferno - 16:10 (8:7, 8:3)
With immense pressure on the shoulders of both teams, Inferno would decide the fourth semi-finalist. Fired up and hungry for a victory, Astralis set off on the defensive side of the map, able to secure both the pistol and two additional rounds. At 0:3, Team Liquid managed to cut the momentum by securing a team ace in round 4, however the Danes persisted and went on to secure a further three, landing a 6:1 surplus early on. Team Liquid were not about to flop over and allow an easy victory, as the aggressors managed to string three rounds together to Astralis' one, lessening their deficit to 4:7. A repeat of the aforementioned was seen prior to the conclusion of the half, closing it out at 8:7 in favour of the Danes. Sentient of their situation, Team Liquid retaliate, grabbing the pistol round after a post-plant malarkey, in addition to another two, extending their lead to 10:8. In an unfortunate turn of events for the Americans we saw a monstrous performance from the Danes, where they mounted a comeback that saw a one-sided remainder of the half. Eight consecutive rounds were accrued by Astralis on the T side, leading to a soul-crushing 10:16 defeat for the boys from Team Liquid.
Image courtesy of ECS/ Jesse Arroyo
