INTZ upset FURIA; NRG dispatch TeamOne in Americas Minor opening matches

NRG and INTZ secured opening victories at the Americas Minor over TeamOne and FURIA on Inferno (16-5) and Overpass (16-13).

The first match-up of the Americas Minor saw NRG and TeamOne square off on Inferno. Peter "⁠stanislaw⁠" Jarguz and company kicked off on the offense, and off the back of a successful pistol round were able to accrue an immediate 3-0 lead. Pedro "⁠Maluk3⁠" Campos and Bruno "⁠b4rtiN⁠" Câmara ensured their team's first round with a double kill each, but this triumph only yielded short-term results, as NRG maintained the lead afterward.

TeamOne were able to produce a further three consecutive rounds, highlighted by an AWP triple kill from Maluk3, prior to a convincing dash from the Terrorists, who ensured a confident 10-5 closure after converting all remaining rounds of the first half.

After assuming the defence, NRG were quick to secure map point, as a consecutive pistol round victory, that saw Vincent "⁠Brehze⁠" Cayonte land a USP-s triple kill, was followed by four round conversions. The deficit proved to be too heavy a burden for TeamOne to deal with, as the North American-majority roster closed Inferno with a convincing 16-5 scoreline.

Overpass played host to the Brazilian brawl between FURIA and INTZ, that witnessed an initial successful T-side pistol conversion from Vito "⁠kNgV-⁠" Giuseppe's side. Retaliation followed as soon as the defence held rifles, marking FURIA's first round, but the team once more found themselves on the back foot as the Ts extended their position to a 4-1 lead after momentum was regained.

After consecutive losses, the CTs had finally figured out an approach, allowing at first an equaliser, and subsequently a lead to be secured. Come conclusion of the first half, Andrei "⁠arT⁠" Piovezan and company accrued a slight lead at 8-7.

The second pistol round was for FURIA's taking, as a post-plant was successfully stalled till no time was left to defuse. This led to a four-round surplus for the Terrorists, but it proved to be short-lived, as INTZ made things work with full equipment in hand. An impressive six back-to-back rounds were accrued by INTZ off the back of mounting momentum, stopped only by an unlikely 1v2 conversion on the A site by arT. Despite equalising the scoreline in the following round, FURIA were ultimately unable to mount the comeback on the offense, leading to a 13-16 loss to INTZ.