The IEM Global Challenge match between Astralis and Vitality just concluded. The matchup between the two teams was played in a best of three series. Astralis' mental strength allowed them to play calmly throughout the series.
Nuke was the first map picked by Astralis. The most interesting part was Vitality demolishing Astralis on their own map pick. Vitality was able to frag their way through the entire map, only losing two rounds in the process. Vitality won the first map with a 16-2 score.
The second map was played on Dust2. Astralis had an insane 10-3 lead over Vitality but that didn’t last long. Vitality started winning more gunfights. When ZywOo carried Vitality, they secured 40 kills before overtime. However, Astralis managed to be cool and collected, which allowed them to take the map with a score of 21-19. Astralis on Round 30 made an insane play. They had Xyp9X fight Vitality solo while the rest of Astralis flanked and got the frags.
This turn of events made Vitality lose their confidence and stamina. Astralis, meanwhile, played the roles that allowed them to gain an advantage over Vitality. The final map was on Inferno. Vitality only managed to get five rounds on the board after which seemed impossible for them to come back.
The final round from Astralis showed how impatient Vitality was towards the end. Vitality was stacking up near the smokes. This allowed gla1ve to just walk through and collect the final three kills for the series point. Astralis took the match with a dominating 16-5 scoreline.
The semi-finals will be played between NaVi and Astralis, one of the most anticipated games ahead.
For more coverage on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive IEM Global Challenge, watch all the streams on Twitch or YouTube.
What are your thoughts on the ongoing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive IEM Global Challenge? Have you enjoyed the games and learned new tricks from the pro players? Whatever your thoughts may be, let us know in the comments below.
