Led by AWPer Valentin 'poizon' Vasilev's heroic performance, fnatic caused a huge shock by defeating G2 in Group A of ESL Pro League, blowing the group wide open in the process.
G2 had been expected to win the group in comprehensive fashion, but have struggled to shine without the services of their in-game leader Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, who has been unable to compete due to illness.
It was a second surprise defeat for G2 in as many games, as they fell 0-2 to MOUZ on Thursday, and the European squad cannot afford another slip up if they want to qualify for the play-offs.
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Conversely, fnatic are performing above all expectations, given their recent roster changes. They now sit 2-1 in Group A, with their Bulgarian AWPer poizon leading the charge.
This particular game kicked off on fnatic’s pick of Inferno, but it was G2 who edged into a 1-0 series lead, denying a comeback by fnatic to land the opener 16-14.
fnatic refused to let that narrow loss deter them and bounced back in no uncertain terms on Dust2. poizon posted an impressive 27 kills as fnatic romped to a 16-2 victory, setting up a decider on Mirage.
The concluding map was no closer, with fnatic racing to a 12-3 lead on their defensive side. G2 looked set to make a comeback, winning four of the first five rounds as the sides switched, but fnatic quickly regained their composure and saw off G2 by a 16-7 scoreline.
