Virtus.pro take down Gen.G to reach Flashpoint 2 playoffs

Virtus.pro moved past Gen.G after a shaky start to the series to deny another upset in Group C.

Virtus.pro found themselves in trouble after conceding Train to Gen.G, a map in which the CIS side were coming off a six-game winning streak. Despite getting blown out of the water on their opponents' map pick, VP fought back to edge out Gen.G in a closely-contested Inferno game before running away with the series with a commanding Vertigo performance to book their spot in the Flashpoint 2 playoffs.

With this loss, Gen.G are sent to the lower bracket, where they will have another chance to progress in the tournament when they face off against the winner of OG and Cloud9 in Group C's consolidation final.

A Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali smoke defuse in a 1v2 secured Virtus.pro the opening CT pistol on Train, but Gen.G hit straight back to take an early lead. Down 1-4, the CIS team managed to lock down back-to-back rounds to stay hot on the Terrorists' heels, but Timothy "⁠autimatic⁠" Ta came alive on the AWP to keep his team ahead with numerous picks across the map. A series of multi-kill rounds by Jame helped his side bounce back once again and prevent the score difference from becoming too extreme as Virtus.pro found themselves chasing a 6-9 deficit at the half switch.

Gen.G kicked off their defence positively, with a Hansel "⁠BnTeT⁠" Ferdinand triple kill, and the team did not slow down moving forward as the squad’s individuals showcased their skill, with autimatic, Rasmus "⁠kreaz⁠" Johansson and Kenneth "⁠koosta⁠" Suen all enjoying 3K rounds on the way to map point. Virtus.pro briefly denied Gen.G for two rounds before the CTs closed out Train to draw first blood in the series.

Gen.G carried over their momentum into Inferno, where koosta & co. turned around a 4v5 post-plant to take the pistol. A ridiculous quad kill through the smoke by kreaz as the lone B defender kept his side in the lead, with Gen.G’s retakes continuing to succeed as they secured four-straight defuses to claim a 4-0 start. A Timur "⁠buster⁠" Tulepov 1v3 clutch broke the streak and put his team on the board in the fifth round and Virtus.pro went on to find frequent success with B site executes, eventually pulling ahead 7-6. The CIS side rounded out their offence with seven consecutive rounds to overcome their lacklustre start for a 9-6 halftime lead.

After falling apart at the end of the first half, Gen.G came out all guns blazing on the T side to confidently lock down six rounds off the bat, but they ran out of steam at a crucial moment - just shy of the finish line. Virtus.pro replicated their late half dominance to recompose and dispatch Gen.G, with Sanjar "⁠SANJI⁠" Kuliev and Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis having solid defensive showings to edge their team over the line.

The third and final map was Vertigo, where Virtus.pro kicked off their defence with four rounds. Gen.G replied with three of their own to temporarily keep the score tight, but the CIS side pulled in front after shutting down the attackers time and again for a 10-3 advantage, with YEKINDAR leading the way. kreaz stepped up in the final two rounds to salvage what he could for his team as Gen.G found themselves down by five at the midway point.

VP pulled no punches once on the T side and ran over Gen.G commandingly to rapidly hit series point. A solitary round was all koosta's team could muster as Virtus.pro quickly put the game to rest.