A day full of intense matches brings the GET closer to its thrilling conclusion
The second day of the Global Esports Tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil provided amazing gameplay and inspiring comebacks as world-class teams battled to be crowned Champions.
Six matches were held on an action-packed day at the Maracanãzinho Stadium, giving loyal fans an experience they will never forget. The Brazilian fans never faltered in their incredible support of all the teams in the competition, cheering on their favorites well into the early morning as the teams dueled to advance in the tournament.
The thrills began with the Upper Bracket Semifinal between Brazilian rivals, paiN Gaming and MIBR, with paiN maintaining their strong play to earn the 13-9 victory and advance to the Upper Bracket Final.
Next up was the start of the Best-of-3 matches in the Lower Bracket, with Brazilian favorites Furia going head-to-head with Metizport. With both teams facing elimination, it was a battle of wills on every map. Furia jumped out to the early lead with an overtime victory of 16-14 on Overpass in a preview of what would be the most intense matchup of the day.
Metizport stormed back with a 13-8 victory on Vertigo to keep their hopes of advancing alive. With the match tied 1-1, it all came down to the final map of Inferno with both teams showcasing their talent on the offensive end. Each claimed nine rounds on offense and three on defense, setting up a thrilling overtime.
The teams continued to go back and forth, forcing a second overtime and then a third. Finally, with the support of the raucous Brazilian fans, Furia claimed a 4-1 victory in triple overtime led by their star Fallen, concluding the match with a final score of 22-19.
The heart-stopping battles continued in the next match between Monte and OG. The first battle took place on the Ancient map, with OG coming back from an early 8-4 deficit in the first half to claim a tight 13-11 victory featuring nine successful defenses in the second half. Next up was Mirage, with Monte displaying their talent on both offense and defense by taking seven rounds on the attack followed by six rounds on defense to claim the 13-6 victory and force a third map.
Vertigo was the final battleground for the two teams facing elimination. With a determined effort, OG claimed an early 9-3 lead in the first half with great attack strategies. They followed that with a strong effort on defense, only conceding four rounds and defending four of their own to win the map 13-7 and keep their championship aspirations alive with a 2-1 victory.
Next up was another battle of Brazilians, with MIBR and Furia both needing a win to stay alive in the tournament. Despite selecting Inferno as the first map, Furia was unable to stop their MIBR challengers from taking a convincing 13-8 victory with seven defenses in the first half and six successful offensive attacks in the second.
With the advantage of choosing Vertigo as the second map, MIBR once again dismantled Furia with a strong offensive start featuring seven victories in the first half. Their incredible play continued in the second half on defense, claiming six successful defenses and only conceding two attacks to Furia to win the map 13-7 and advance in the tournament with a 2-0 victory.
Despite the loss, Team Furia took time to sign autographs and take selfies with their diehard fans throughout the stadium
The Lower Bracket Semifinals began after midnight with a match between 9z Globant and OG. Having the higher seed, 9z chose Overpass as the first map while OG picked Anubis for map two. However, the selection did not pay dividends for 9z as OG dominated on the defensive end in the first half, taking nine rounds and setting them up for victory on offense. While OG had the advantage, 9z battled to the very end, claiming seven rounds on defense to put the pressure on OG. In the end, OG took four rounds on offense to secure the 13-10 victory.
It was a similar story on Anubis, with OG taking seven rounds on defense for the early 7-5 lead. Their great teamwork continued in the second half, as OG claimed six rounds to end the map in just 20 rounds with a 13-7 victory. The win sent OG to the Lower Bracket Final with a chance to play in the Grand Final on Saturday at stake.
The last match took place in the early morning with the incredible Brazilian fans still glued to their seats to watch Imperial and paiN square off in a bid to stay undefeated and reach the Grand Final. Imperial picked Anubis for map 1 while paiN picked Nuke for map 2, but neither selection went in either team’s favor as paiN took the 13-8 win on map 1, and Imperial upset their rivals on map 2 with a 13-6 victory.
Overpass set the stage for the nail-biting finale with a ticket to the Grand Final on the line. Imperial dominated on defense to start, earning nine victories in the first half. With paiN’s backs against the wall, they fought hard to overcome the early deficit and claimed seven rounds in the second half on defense. However, their efforts weren’t enough to come back as Imperial took the map and the match with a 13-10 triumph.
It was a long and hard-fought day at the Maracanãzinho for every team as they showcased their world-class talent for the world to see. The teams that will compete in the unmissable final matches are now decided, with MIBR and OG squaring off in the Lower Bracket Final. The winner will then take on paiN in the Consolidation Final where the winner will advance to take on the undefeated Imperial team in the Grand Final.