Endpoint send forZe packing in Anaheim

Day two of DreamHack Open Anaheim began with a major upset as Endpoint beat world No.13 FORZE in Group A's elimination match.

It's a historic day for British Counter-Strike after Endpoint, a team sitting outside the top 50 in the rankings and with little experience at the highest level, managed to beat one of the tournament favourites, who looked a far cry from the squad that only three months ago had won the DreamHack Open stop in Jönköping.

After being outclassed by North on the opening day of the tournament, FORZE cut a frustrating figure once again, yet they only have themselves to blame: they lost the opening map, Vertigo, after wasting four map points in regulation as Endpoint produced a late comeback and eventually came out victorious after a quadruple-overtime marathon.

It took a 30-bomb from FORZE star Bogdan "⁠xsepower⁠" Chernikov, who had been inconsequential on Vertigo, for the Russian team to level the series in a close Inferno game that at one point seemed destined to go Endpoint's way.

xsepower carried that form into the final map, Train, where FORZE were on a six-game winning streak, but the rest of his team collapsed around him. The Russians picked up just three rounds on the T side after a 0-10 start, and their comeback attempt in the second half was quickly thwarted once the British team had money in the bank.

Endpoint move on in Group A's lower bracket to face North, who are eager to bounce back from Friday's 3-16 thrashing by FURIA, in the decider stage. As for FORZE, the Russian team leave Anaheim red-faced and have less than two weeks to right what went wrong before the all-important closed qualifier for the CIS Minor, scheduled for March 5-6.