Image: Riot Games
Day 9 of MSI 2022 kicked off with a major upset.
The third day of MSI 2022’s Rumble Stage has begun with a bang. PSG Talon shocked us all by finally ending G2 Esports' longtime 24-0 winning streak, right after T1 won a match against Evil Geniuses. Here's a recap of the first two matches of the day:
First up: Evil Geniuses face off against T1. Both teams came into Day 3 with 2-2 wins and losses apiece, so this would decide which team gets ahead and which one falls further down the rankings. T1’s performance has been inconsistent ever since the team’s winning streak was broken, and that carried through this match. By the 20-minute mark, both teams were on more or less equal footing - though T1 had more objectives under its belt. Certainly not an impossible lead to beat, but EG didn’t manage to get ahead in time.
This was a quick match to end with T1 scoring the victory, but EG will get a shot at redemption when the two teams have their rematch tomorrow.
Next: G2 Esports battled PSG Talon in what will probably go down as the biggest match today. Of course, G2 was coming off a pretty wild winning streak that began at the 2022 LEC spring playoffs - but PSG Talon started Day 3 with a whopping three losses to one win. This was a really tough matchup for PSG, a team with so much catching up to do. G2 has found no issue in starting matches aggressively in the past, but this was a bit of a slow start for them. Ten minutes in, both teams had one kill each with G2 only slightly leading in gold. G2 can be a bit of a wildcard, and it was clear PSG didn't intend to give them an inch.
A massive teamfight 23 minutes in gave PSG their second dragon of the game, and a four-kill lead over G2. PSG took that momentum into the bottom lane, charging into G2’s base, wiping out the enemy team all to steal a stunning win! An absolute upset from PSG, a team no one could have predicted would have ended G2’s winning streak today. Though it might not severely impact G2’s position in the tournament at this stage, it certainly goes a long way to help PSG.
