North upset Na`Vi in ESL Pro League Season 11 Europe

North took down world No.1 Natus Vincere 2-0 in the second series of ESL Pro League Season 11 Europe Group B.

The IEM Katowice champions gave a disappointing account of themselves in their first online match since November 2018 as they were outclassed by North, a team sitting 23rd in the world rankings. Veteran René "⁠cajunb⁠" Borg led the charge for the Danish side with a series-high 1.42 rating, though it was Philip "⁠aizy⁠" Aistrup who had everyone talking after his spectacular quad-kill on Dust2.

The series kicked off on Nuke, where initial on-goings suggested a steadily developing lead for North's T side. Kirill "⁠Boombl4⁠" Mikhailov's troops picked up the pace towards the latter stages of the half, softening their deficit to a single round. However, It was on the defense that North really shined as the Danes allowed only three rounds to slip in their opponents' favor.

Dust2 saw an unusually poor performance from the CIS-based squad, as CT-side struggles and lack of momentum cost them dearly. An initial six-round lead for North was met with some pushback, but the Danes pushed ahead, concluding the initial half with a commanding 10-5 lead.

A spectacular start to the defense solidified North's lead, as the CTs found themselves two rounds short of map and series conclusion off the bat. A slow A Long take fell through for Boombl4's men, yielding the opposition map point. The CIS offensive did their best in a comeback attempt, but the burden proved too heavy in the long run.

ESL Pro League S11 has already produced a considerable number of upsets, the biggest of which saw Astralis trounced by NiP during the opening day. Earlier on Tuesday, Complexity were defeated by FORZE in a nail-biting three-map affair, confirming Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer's suggestion that playing online is "a bit of a wildcard".