CSGO: NRG Upset Team Liquid in Berlin Major Group Stage
| Tags: CS2
| Author Caroline Rutledge
NRG shocked Team Liquid this morning with a 16-9 win over their North American counterparts.
Today’s North American battle saw domestic rivals NRG and Team Liquid go head-to-head in the StarLadder Berlin Major group stage. Team Liquid, who currently sits as the number one team in the world, was heavily favored to take the win. Instead, we saw Tsvetelin “CeRq” Dimitrov put up a world-class performance to carry NRG to victory.
NRG Stun Liquid on Day 2 of the Berlin Major
Day 2 of the StarLadder Berlin Major went underway today, bringing viewers all of the matches from the 0-1 and 1-0 groups. Both Team Liquid and NRG took their first wins yesterday, with Liquid defeating CR4ZY and NRG taking down Renegades. The two were matched up for today’s games, placing them in a North American derby that was sure to deliver.
Dust 2 served as the battleground for this NA rivalry, which started with NRG soaring to an 8-1 lead over the world’s best on their T-side half. Team Liquid did manage to rally back to a respectable first-half scoreline, putting together 6 rounds to end the half at only a three-round deficit. Just as in the first half, Liquid took the pistol round victory only to lose once again to NRG’s second-round forcebuy. Despite Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski’s best efforts, Liquid could not compete with NRG’s confident plays and smart decision-making. After giving up only three rounds in the second half, NRG closed out the game with a 16-9 scoreline.
Liquid Underperforms While NRG Hit's Their Stride
With this loss came a rare underperformance from a number of Liquid’s players, most notably Keith “NAF” Markovic, who ended the map with only seven kills to his name. This is Team Liquid’s first series loss since June 18th, when they fell to North in a best-of-one at the ESL Pro League Season 9 Finals. Liquid will have the chance to redeem themselves tomorrow in the 1-1 matches, though their opponent has not yet been revealed. NRG move on to the 2-0 matches, giving themselves a chance to move through the group stage without taking a single loss.
Image VIA: StarLadder
Caroline is an esports journalist focusing on CS:GO. Starting out as a casual CS:GO fan, her interest quickly turned into a passion as she spent years studying the game. She has put that knowledge to use as a journalist, now writing about professional CS:GO for multiple websites including TheGamer.