Falcons has secured their first win of the IEM Cologne Campaign, beating G2 Esports with a 2-1 scoreline. Having lost the first map, Falcons managed to win back-to-back maps to send G2 to the 0-1 bracket. With the stars for the Falcons showing up when called for, the team starts its Major run with what can only be described as what can only be described as a highly convincing performance.
VETO
- G2 removed Nuke
- Falcons removed Overpass
- G2 picked Inferno
- Falcons picked Dust2
- Falcons removed Mirage
- G2 removed Anubis
- Ancient was left over
Map 1: Inferno; Pick: G2; Winner: G2
Starting the map with no team able to win more than two rounds in a row, momentum kept swaying both ways until the Falcons secured back-to-back rounds on their defense to edge out the half with a 7-5 lead. Falcons went on a winning streak, having won the pistol, only to give away the momentum to force a buy from G2. Winning their first round of the defense, G2 found stability, which ensured it cruised to match point as a poorly played offense from Falcons failed to yield anything significant, leading to a 13-10 win for the huNter-led G2 fueled by NiKo dropping a 27-kill masterclass.
Map 2: Dust2; Pick: Falcons; Winner: Falcons
Trading rounds to open up the game, the Falcons managed to find footing on their offense, which it used to build on to reach a dominant 10-2. G2, playing a highly disconnected game on their defense, swapped sides with only 2 rounds to its name. 5 rounds to streak to kick off the game, G2 managed to close in on the lead before Falcons put together 3 in a row to reach series point. With m0NESY stepping up on the defense, Falcons built late into the game. m0NESY, securing an easy clutch against huNter on the B site, closed the game with a clean 1v1 conversion to take the game to the final map.
Map 3: Ancient; Pick: Decider; Winner: Falcons
4-0 start for G2 put Falcons on the back foot right from the get-go, only to drop the ball later, leading to Falcons recovering with a streak of their own, which concluded the half with the latter leading 7-5. Moving to the offense, the Falcons’ loss to the G2 force led to the scoreline getting levelled before both teams traded rounds to push the game to Overtime. As OT progressed, the Falcons walked away with 2 back-to-back rounds, leading to a 14-13 lead before moving to the defense. Winning back-to-back rounds, the Falcons closed the game with a 16-13 scoreline, with Kyousuke topping charts with 24 kills for them.
G2 losing out to the Falcons despite pushing the game close speaks to how good the Falcons team is, and if anything is to be taken out of this match, it is that G2 are one of the better sides in the event, and they pose a solid chance to go through to the playoffs unless they fail to convert the following matches.