The penultimate day of IEM Katowice has come to a close. Each semifinals match played out in a different way. G2 Esports have defeated Fnatic in a nail-biting three game series to earn a chance at the trophy. In the other match, Na’Vi have wiped the floor with Astralis to book their ticket to the IEM Grand Finals.
G2 Esports 2 – 1 Fnatic
The first map of the IEM semifinals was Fnatic’s pick of Inferno. Although Maikil “Golden” Selim got the pistol ace, G2 defused the bomb in time to take the round. The A bombsite was the early focus as both teams traded rounds. G2 took the lead off of a 3K by Kenny “kennyS” Schrub which broke the Fnatic economy.
The G2 defense indexed heavily into Mid control, shutting down Fnatic’s T side for a 10-5 lead at the half.
Fnatic took the second pistol round with a last second defuse, but then G2 ran them over in Mid with a force buy to steal the momentum. G2 earned a 13-6 lead before Fnatic’s next gun round. Two consecutive A site attacks ended with an Audric “JaCkz” Jug 4K to put G2 on match point.
Fnatic did start a comeback with six rounds in a row, but G2 closed the map out 16-12 with a B rush.
G2 took the early lead on Dust2 with a pistol win and two fast B rushes. Fnatic’s defense stabilized at Long A, helping them take a 6-5 lead. The G2 attack then swapped to a B focused plan, but Fnatic frequently shut that down as well. The half ended with the Swedes up 9-6.
The second pistol round went in G2’s favor as they pulled the score within one. Fnatic kept their lead with slow T rounds that denied G2’s Mid pressure. Both teams found success with varying strategies, but Fnatic always stayed a step ahead of their opposition. After earning map point, Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin closed it out with a 4K clutch on the B bombsite. The 16-11 Fnatic win sent the match to a tiebreaker.
The final map would be Train. G2 once again took the pistol round, gaining a 3-0 lead. Fnatic’s gun rounds found success on the A bombsite. When they tried to hit the B site, Nemanja “huNter-“ Kovač and Nemanja “nexa” Isaković held it down flawlessly. Fnatic returned to the A site and won the last three rounds of the half, making the score 6-9.