Virtus.pro have overcome their Danish opponents in 2-0 fashion, securing a semi-final placement at the PGL Major Kraków 2017.
North vs. 
Virtus.pro - 0-2
de_Cobblestone - 9:16 (3:12, 6:4)
Home crowd favourites Virtus.pro commence Cobblestone on the defence. Their Danish opponents send a single member in Emil "Magisk" Reif into dropbox, whilst the remaining members of the roster made their way to the A site. North managed a bomb plant on the site, however were subsequently dispatched in swift fashion by the Poles, securing V.P early momentum, in addition to the first digit of the series. Barring a single P250 for North the team went for a full eco in round two, opting to save up enough money for a comprehensive buy in the third. Utility and rifles for the Danish offense in round three, allowing for a more fair fight. Four members of North on the B site were seen, whilst Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke lurked around middle, where he secured an opening frag for his team, opening the A site for an advance. Philip "aizy" Aistrup remained on B long, catching two members of V.P with an AK-47 spray. A 2v4 ensued, with all members of V.P perishing in the process.
The Poles may have allowed a round prior, however a successful pistol buy saw the home favourites secure frags onto a fully bought North, grabbing their rifles and subsequently utilising them against their owners. Curously, the round was opened by a knife kill from Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski onto Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke, fuelling the intrigue of the crowd massively. Round five saw equal footing for the teams in terms of equipment, however North were able only to frag a single member of Virtus.pro, whilst the Poles shut down the aggression in swift fashion. In light of the loss, the Danes' economy was reset, opting for a fast round with all five members advancing into dropbox. Fast frags for V.P closed the round at 5:1.
North managed their second round, as a flawless A site take saw the team dispatched Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski, opening the site wide open. Having assessed the situation Virtus.pro opted to save four rifles to keep the finances healthy, conceding the round. A split push from North saw a strong presence on the B site via plateau, which in an unfortunate turn of events for the Danes, turned into a 1v2 for star player Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke. The Dane was able to dispatch one member of the Polish roster, however Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas bested his nemesis with an AK-47 bullet to the brain, securing his team a 6:2 score. Two kills on both Jaros?aw "pashaBiceps" Jarz?bkowski and Filip "NEO" Kubski caused great issues for North, forcing the Danes into a difficult financial situation in round ten. Upgraded pistols managed an upset on the B site, whereby the bomb was planted in a 5v4 situation. With rifles picked up from two deceased members of Virtus.pro, North capitalised, culling a grand total of three members of the Polish team. Virtus.pro enter the following round with little money left after a full buy. The team would be reset economically if they did not produce. An A hit from North saw a bomb plant, in addition to two dead members of V.P. Faced with the financial predicament, three members saved their equipment once more, conceding the eleventh round to North at 7:4.
Split pressure from North was met with a stellar defence from Virtus.pro, as two opening kills were secured by the defence. Due to the spread nature of the defence, the B plateau was breached, with losses sustained by Virtus.pro. A 2v2 followed, with the Polish duo of Filip "NEO" Kubski and Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas coming out on top of the exchange. A fast B hit was met with a strong defence, as all five members of North perished in swift fashion, whilst Virtus.pro only sustained a single fatality. North were faced with a tricky financial situation, whereby two UMP45s and three upgraded pistols were purchased. Utility grenades were used to cover the B site, allowing North to plant the bomb in a 3v2 situation. Virtus.pro were able to made work of the remaining Danes using their rifles, leading to a 2v1 situation. The buddy system was employed, as Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas had the back of teammate Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski who had successfully defused the bomb despite being threatened by René "cajunb" Borg. The A site defence shut down an aggression, leaving Philip "aizy" Aistrup in a 1v5. The Dane was unable to clutch, leading to an 11:4 finish for the Golden Five.
Virtus.pro waste no time getting back into the game on the T side, as a fast A hit caught the Danish roster off guard. Three defending members on the A site were dispatched, leading to a 5v2 post-plant in favour of the Ts. The final two members fell, not before Emil "Magisk" Reif fragged Jaros?aw "pashaBiceps" Jarz?bkowski. North force bought in the following round, able to make a dent in the Polish economy, as the team managed to kill three members of the opposition. Not much more was accrued, however as North were wiped out. A couple of upgraded pistols for North in the following round, but no chance was seen against rifles, leading to a 14:4 lead for the Poles. Prior to engaging North in their full buy, Virtus.pro called for a time-out to discuss affairs. Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke shut down two terrorists on A long to open the round for his team, followed by a 3k from René "cajunb" Borg to close the round. The T economy was reset, sporting five P250s for V.P. An A split with the pistols were shut down by M4s, leading to a quick successive round for North at 6:14. Once able to buy adequate equipment, Virtus.pro decided for a swift B take. Lightning speed frags from the Poles meant a 4v1 situation against René "cajunb" Borg. The Danes fragged Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski, only to subsequently be re-fragged by teammate Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas, leading to map point for Virtus.pro at 15:6.
The B site defence saw a spectacular showing in round twenty-two, as four members of Virtus.pro fell when attempting to breach the site. Losing two members to three, North's In-Game Leader, Mathias "MSL" Lauridsen closed the round with a 2k at 7:15. Insufficient cash for Virtus.pro in the following round, only able to half buy. Mathias "MSL" Lauridsen's 3K followed by a 2k from René "cajunb" Borg closed the round. Pistols for V.P yielded a single kill, but not much else, as North secure their ninth round at 9:15. North spiral out of control, after a perfect read from Mathias "MSL" Lauridsen, who called for an A long stack from the defence was dismantled, as three members of the defence fell without a single frag onto the offense. Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas culled four members of the Danish roster, leaving a lonely René "cajunb" Borg. The AWPer was unable to clutch the severely unfavourable situation, conceding the map to Virtus.pro at 9:16.
de_Nuke - 10:16 (8:7, 2:9)
Virtus.pro start on the offense of de_Nuke, deciding to rush towards ramp. After passing radio, the Poles were faced with a crossfire from x and x, losing four members. Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas was able to plant the bomb on the B site as the last remaining member, however a 1v3 clutch was not seen from the Counter-Strike veteran, conceding the first round of the map to North. In an attempt to snatch the momentum Virtus.pro force bought, working with an AK-47 and four upgraded pistols. Two frags were accrued, but that was it, as a last-second bomb plant from Jaros?aw "pashaBiceps" Jarz?bkowski was shut down, disallowing a financial supplement. A full eco ensued for the Ts, with four members falling at ramp, whilst a sneaky Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski sprinted to the B site, securing a bomb plant behind silo. Mission accomplished for Virtus.pro, securing a purchase in round three. Extensive map control for V.P, greatly limiting the Danish defence. Finally the Poles had wasted too much time, as a consequence losing four members leaving Jaros?aw "pashaBiceps" Jarz?bkowski alone in a 1v3.
Round five saw North's AWPer caught out of position outside warehouse, leading to a 4v5. Having secured outside map presence, the Poles advanced to the A site, able to plant. A two versus two saw Pawe? "byali" Bieli?ski score two kills, landing his team their first round at 1:4. Both teams with a rifle buy in the follower, however North came out on top of affairs, pushing their agenda further. The previous loss meant an economy reset for Virtus.pro, crashing their entire team onto ramp, only to be dispatched by Emil "Magisk" Reif's M4A4. Fast plays from Virtus.pro towards the outside area, ducking into secret after a frag onto Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke. The Poles made sure to secure the round, after the B defence was dismantled, as well as rotating members of the defence in vents. Round nine saw a full buy from North, however if the team sustained a loss, they would be force into an eco round. Four members ventured into hut, whilst Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski lurked into A main from outside. The defence was culled, leaving Emil "Magisk" Reif in a 1v2, which he was unable to clutch.
At 6:3 North purchased upgraded pistols, facing a full buy from Virtus.pro. Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas managed to frag his teammate Filip "NEO" Kubski, crippling his team's man advantage in the round. Unfortunately for the Danes the pistols were effective early on, however in a post-plant when things got closer they were unable to deliver, conceding a further round at 6:4. V.P slow the pace, opting for a leisurely entrance onto the B site. Having lost two members, the Poles came back from a 3v5 situation, one round victory away from equalising at 5:6. Upgraded pistols for North following the loss, where the team was able to secure two frags, denting the finances of V.P. No victory though, as an equaliser was scored by V.P at 6:6 on the T side. A brawl in round thirteen, as the teams exchange two a head, leading to a 3v3. The defence proved more effective in fragging power, taking theirs at 7:6. Two AWPs on the T side, curiously, as both managed to secure frags. Another frag from Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas' AK-47 led to a 2v5 for North, one that was lost hopelessly, as not a single member for Virtus.pro fell to a full buy from the Danes. A force buy from North in the final round of the half. Emil "Magisk" Reif's UMP45 culled three members of Virtus.pro, crippling the Polish side severely. The Danes closed out, leading to an 8:7 finish for the team.
North decide to venture outside, and naturally the duel between glocks and USPs saw the latter come out on top. North managed to salvage the round, securing frags that led to a 2v2, as well as a bomb plant on B. Pawe? "byali" Bieli?ski dispatched the final two members of North, leading to an 8:8 score line for the teams. North full eco on the follower, however Philip "aizy" Aistrup managed to sneak through the vents to the B site, planting the bomb in safety. The Dane subsequently fell, landing his team $800 a piece. The eighteenth round signified North's first buy. A power play from the Danish side, as a B take was barely dented by Virtus.pro, landing only a single frag onto the offense, all the while losing all five members in the process. Tied up at 9:9, the home crowd favourites were looking at an economy reset if faced with a loss. Two frags to one led to a man advantage for V.P. The round came down to a 2v2 that was clutched by Filip "NEO" Kubski, securing his team a 10:9 score.
Utter destruction of North in the following round, as North force bought and attempted to rush into the A site via door, only to be fried by Molotovs and dispatched by bullets at 9:11. Full pistols ensued for the Danes, conceding a further round. Able to buy in round twenty-two, North stepped outside, securing comprehensive control of the yard area. Time was ticking down, as with forty seconds left the Danes found themselves in hell, both literally and figuratively, as a triple kill from Jaros?aw "pashaBiceps" Jarz?bkowski, who was stationed at ramp saw a total shutdown of the round, leaving a single René "cajunb" Borg saving an AK-47. A list-ditch effort from North, as a B site rush from the outside area saw a 5v5 retake. Working with close quarters, North were able to convert the round in a 1v1 post-plant between René "cajunb" Borg and Wiktor "TaZ" Wojtas, where the latter was focused on defusing a fast ticking bomb, whilst the prior was forcing mind games onto the Pole, subsequently ending his life.
Opting to go into the outside area once more, North were dismantled one by one. Two kills from Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski and Filip "NEO" Kubski were the end of the Danish roster, as Emil "Magisk" Reif was left alone. Unable to clutch the round, North were looking at a 10:14 score. A full eco from North following the previous loss, losing all members to none on V.P, as the Poles secure map point. North force bought in round twenty-six, able to secure two kills after a successful ramp rush. A 2-0 loss for North ensued, as the final three members were dismantled by Filip "NEO" Kubski and Pawe? "byali" Bieli?ski, leading to a 16:10 victory.
Image courtesy of PGL
