Two exciting matchups were scheduled to begin the second day of the Legends Stage at the PGL Antwerp CS:GO Major. G2 Esports and Heroic, two of the favorites to advance to the playoffs, were set to play each other in the 1-1 bracket. In the same situation were ENCE and Outsiders, who also played against themselves to secure a 2-1 standing.
One game was a hard-fought spectacle, with Heroic taking a 19-17 victory over G2 on Vertigo, while the second one was a one-sided show, where ENCE dominated the CIS representatives.
The match between G2 and Heroic went to Vertigo, where the Danish side picked up a comfortable victory over Team Liquid yesterday, which made a few experts on the desk argue the map should on paper go in their favor. And while it eventually did, it was a close matchup. NiKo and his crew failed to pick up any pistol rounds, which allowed Heroic to pick up comfortable leads, being 11-7 in the second half at one point.
Then, G2 mounted an impressive comeback, making the scoreline a 14-11 in their favor. At that point, it seemed it was the end for Heroic, but the Danish side responded with cohesive gameplay and some admirable clutches fros TeSeS and sjuush, which led the game to overtime. There, G2 again grabbed the lead, but failed to convert one CT round, while Heroic won all of them and secured a 19-17 victory.
Outsiders, on the other hand, played on Mirage for the third time in a row at the Legends Stage. And while their last game against Vitality finished with a decisive 16-8 triumph, this time they lost to ENCE with the same score.
The European team began the match on a strong note by winning the first pistol round. This put wind in their sails, and for the next 10 rounds, they only allowed one to go in favor of their enemies. By the end of the first half, YEKINDAR and his teammates claimed three more wins, putting them in a situation where the game was winnable.
And, for a while, it looked like an upset could be on the horizon, with Outsiders grabbing the second pistol and three rounds that followed. Then, however, ENCE broke their streak and started their sprint by hammering opponents in the last five rounds, securing a 16-8 victory. This was once again done under Spinx’s lead. He was ENCE’s best player with a 23/14 K/D ratio and 1.51 rating, according to HLTV.
The PGL Antwerp CS:GO Major continues today, with the first advancement and elimination matches of the Legends Stage being in the cards. You can check all the scores here.