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ESL One: New York 2016 - Day two recap

Day two saw a total of seven matchups, which concluded with all four semi-finalists of the event decided.

The second day of ESL One: New York 2016 saw seven matches, the outcomes of which were rather unexpected. The likes of Astralis, Fnatic and OpTic Gaming were eliminated, whilst Natus Vincere, Virtus.pro, SK Gaming and Team Liquid are to face one another in the semi-finals of the event.

Sweden Fnatic vs. Denmark Astralis
WinnerSweden Fnatic
Map: de_Dust2 - 9:6, 7:3 (16:9)
MVP: Sweden Dennis "dennis" Edman

The first match of the day saw long-time nemeses Astralis and Fnatic battle it out. The Swedes were able to take it away in the end, however they had to fight for the win. Fnatic kicked off on the CT side, where they had a shaky start, after losing the first pistol round to the Danes. Retaliation was swift, as they were able to accumulate a lead by the end of the first half, leading to a 9:6 half time in favour of the Swedes. In the latter half Fnatic hopped onto the T side and demolished their opponents. Astralis seemed lost, unable to bring the match back into their favour, as Fnatic run away with a 16:9 score.

CIS Natus Vincere vs. Brazil SK Gaming
WinnerCIS Natus Vincere
Map: de_Mirage - 9:6, 7:0 (16:6)
MVP: Ukraine Aleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev

A match between two of the favourites for the tournament saw Natus Vincere secure the best-of-one in surprisingly easy fashion. s1mple and co. set off on the T side of the map, where they are able to show a strong performance, one expected from the team on their iconic map. The CIS mix are able to secure a decent lead after securing the initial pistol, resulting in a 9:6 finish upon the first half. The second half was catastrophic for the Brazilians, as they were consistently shut down by their opponents. Na'Vi demonstrate an absolutely flawless CT side and secure the map at 16:6.

Canada OpTic Gaming vs. Denmark Astralis
WinnerCanada OpTic Gaming
Map: de_Overpass - 11:4, 5:8 (16:12)
MVP: Denmark Nicolai "device" Reedtz

A surprising outcome for the match saw the Danes underperform and exit the race for a spot in the semi-finals, as the Canadians march on further. OpTic kick off on the T side, where the team grabs the first pistol round. This gave the team sufficient momentum to push the lead even further, securing an 11:4 finish upon reaching half time. The Danes were determined to mount a comeback in the second half, and it would be fair to say that the team made it close; however OpTic Gaming supersede their opponents, closing out the map at 16:12.

United States Team Liquid vs. Sweden Fnatic
WinnerUnited States Team Liquid
Map: de_Dust2 - 7:8, 9:6 (16:14)
MVP: United States Nick "nitr0" Cannella

An incredibly close match that saw Team Liquid boot Fnatic. Liquid start on the T side, where the team goes on to win the pistol and a few following gun rounds. The Americans are able to produce a stable game throughout the first half, where the team slightly slips towards the end, giving up a single round to the Swedes, closing the first half at 7:8 in favour of Fnatic. Following this conclusion, Liquid woke up and started hitting their opponents hard. Rounds went by with both teams securing their fair share; however in the end, Liquid seemed to be on point, landing the final blow to Fnatic and taking away the map at 16:14.

Brazil SK Gaming vs. Poland Virtus.pro
WinnerBrazil SK Gaming
Map: de_Train - 9:6, 7:2 (16:8)
MVP: Brazil Epitacio "TACO" de Melo

A much anticipated match-up between two top teams. The Poles ended up falling short to the Brazilians due to numerous mistakes made. SK Gaming kick off on the T side of Train, where the team allowed the Poles the initial pistol round. Rounds went by in favour of the Brazilians, leading to a 9:6 surplus at half time. After switching sides, Virtus.pro seemed lost, consistently making mistakes, resulting in a massive lead for SK Gaming. The major title holders went on to secure the game at 16:8, consolidating their slot in the semi-finals.

United States Team Liquid vs. Sweden Fnatic
WinnerUnited States Team Liquid
Map: de_Dust2 - 12:3, 4:9 (16:12)
MVP: United States Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski

A repeat match-up between the two teams, this time Liquid got rid of Fnatic for good, booting the team out of the race for the tournament title. Liquid were incredibly dominant over the first half, as the team had their opponents sweating going into the second half. The Americans were to kick off on the T side of the map, where they secure the first pistol round, following up with incredible momentum. The Swedes didn't see what hit them as Liquid secure an irreversible 12:3 lead. Fnatic attempted to get back into the game in the second half, but it proved futile, as the initial lead the Americans managed to amass was far too extensive to reverse. Team Liquid eject Fnatic from the tournament with a 16:12 score.

Poland Virtus.pro vs. Canada OpTic Gaming
WinnerPoland Virtus.pro
Map: de_Cobblestone - 8:7, 8:7 (16:14)
MVP: Poland Pawe? "byali" Bieli?ski

The final match of the day saw an incredibly close match between Virtus.pro and OpTic Gaming, where the Poles managed to just about secure the map, sending the Canadians packing. Both halves of the map saw back and forth motion, culminating in a mirrored score in favour of Virtus.pro. The team hanged on by the skin of their teeth, with a single round deciding the outcome of the match and unfortunately for OpTic Gaming they were not able to push the best-of-one into overtime, where perhaps the victor would have shifted. 16:14 in favour of Virtus.pro as the Poles proceed to the semi-finals of ESL One: New York 2016.

For those spectating the matches this evening, following you will find the schedule and matchups (all times are CEST):

Semi-final #1 - 17:00 - Brazil SK Gaming vs. Poland Virtus.pro
Semi-final #2 - 20:30 - CIS Natus Vincere vs. United States Team Liquid
Grand final - 01:00 - Winner of SF #1 vs. Winner of SF #2

Images courtesy of ESL

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