FUT has become the first team to qualify for the ESL Pro League Stage 2, beating Astralis with a 2-0 scoreline. Coming into the event as a dark horse with potential to cause upsets, the young EU-mix side’s flawless run in Stage 1 has put them in the next round of play.
VETO
- Astralis removed Anubis
- FUT removed Inferno
- Astralis picked Overpass
- FUT picked Mirage
- Astralis removed Dust2
- FUT removed Nuke
- Ancient was left over
Map 1: Overpass; Pick: Astralis; Winner: FUT
Starting on the defensive side of, FUT’s 5-0 start put Astralis’s back against the wall to kick off the series. Winning their first round, the Danes fell in the following one as FUT were allowed to win 4 more in a row before Astralis closed the half, winning the final 2 rounds. With the young stars leading 9-3, Astralis failed to convert the pistol that could have set them on the path for a comeback. With repeated force-buy rounds failing to give them the expected results, FUT cruised past the Danes with a 4-0 second half and won the map with a dominant scoreline of 13-3. Krabeni coming in with 18 kills and 2.12 IR gave FUT those pivotal rounds that kept the team dominant for the entirety of the map.
Map 2: Mirage; Pick: FUT; Winner: FUT
Following a dominant start to the series, FUT kicked off the second map in a similar fashion to Map 1, but only managed their first round after losing 5 in a row. Unlike the first map, despite the poor start to the game, Astralis recovered later in the first half to post a levelled scoreline before FUT moved to the defence. Winning the pistol round of the T-side, Astralis took the lead before the gun rounds gave FUT the firepower to turn the tide of the game. Having levelled the scoreline, both teams traded rounds before FUT put a few together and pushed the game over the line to secure their first big win of the event. Back-to-back dominant performances from Krabeni, coming in at the top of the charts with 25 kills and 1.41 IR, gave FUT the much-needed push, especially in the later part of the map, to edge out a tough yet rewarding win.
ESL Pro League is where Astralis saw their best start of any event this year, but for them to miss out on qualification against the likes of FUT is anything but expected. Losing to an in-form team may not be of significance, especially when they have two more shots at qualification, but letting pressure build is not for a team who are at a nascent stage.