In a surprisingly one-sided game, Team Liquid got revenge for their Six Invitational 2018 loss to the Asia-Pacific (APAC) side. Today featured a far weaker performance from Fnatic than usual, and thus saw them inevitably fall to the Latin-American (LATAM) side.
Fnatic: Lusty, Magnet, Acez, RizRaz, NeophyteR
Team Liquid: NESKWGA, psk1, S3xycake, ziG, Bullet1
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The series started off on Chalet, and straightaway Fnatic looked like they were ready to do the double over Team Liquid with a strong opening round. Liquid, though, struck back with two equally as strong rounds -- one of which was aided by a 4k from S3xycake -- and announced a challenge to the Australians with authority.
Fnatic, though, was ready to receive whatever the Brazilians threw at them. They forged on with 3 straight rounds, and put themselves on match point. However, a curious choice to take a tactical pause when in the lead meant that they would lose their momentum, with NESK sweeping in with an ace using his customary Ash.
RizRaz looked to respond in kind in the next round, securing a 3k, but it would be the only kills his team got that round. Liquid managed to force overtime, despite having a man disadvantage towards the dying seconds of round 8. Now buoyed, the LATAM side would lose the first round of overtime, but would secure the map 6-5 thanks to some excellent play from their side coupled with a few mistakes from Fnatic.
It seemed that Fnatic were shaken by that loss, for they started off extremely poorly on Oregon. There, 2 team-kills practically shoved the first round on map 2 into Team Liquid’s hands. Team Liquid then capitalised on Fnatic's inefficient time management on attack, and swept into a comfortable 2-0 lead.
While the APAC team managed to secure one round in a frenetic second-floor defence, it all fell apart once again when they went back on attack with a strategy that could only be described as questionable. They seemed to have no answer to Liquid's strategies, and swiftly fell to the Brazilians 5-1, thereby losing the series in the only 2-0 of the day.
Team Liquid now moves on to face Millenium in the Semi Finals, and aims to be the first LATAM side to win a title. Unfortunately for Fnatic, it is the end of the road as players at this LAN, and they will have to watch the following three matches from the sidelines. Liquid, though, will be happy at having secured revenge for their loss at the Invitational, and will go into tomorrow’s game with confidence.