FURIA defeat Grayhound to set up last chance decider against GamerLegion

FURIA beat their Oceanian foes 2-0 to keep their ESL Pro League playoff dreams alive as they head to the final series of the last chance bracket.

Grayhound are the third team to be eliminated from ESL Pro League Season 18, after ORKS and Ninjas in Pyjamas, following a 0-2 loss to FURIA in the last chance bracket semis.

The two teams had already faced off in the first round of the lower bracket, but the Australia-New Zealand side failed to take revenge on the Brazilians.

The hounds were slow out of the gate as FURIA flew straight past them in the early rounds of Inferno. Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo's men got up to a quick 5-0, but then quickly deflated on the attack and barely made it to the half with a one-round lead. Alistair "⁠aliStair⁠" Johnston, with 14 kills at the switch, made the difference for his side.

The map remained close as Grayhound won several crucial rounds late on. Most importantly, they brought an 11-14 deficit to a tie score and eventually pushed it into overtime on the back of a 1vs2 clutch by Jay "⁠Liazz⁠" Tregillgas in the 30th.

The boys took the lead in overtime, but a disastrous CT side meant their 17-16 lead became a 17-19 defeat. Kaike "⁠KSCERATO⁠" Cerato, as usual, was FURIA’s knight in shining armor. The Brazilian star posted a 1.66 rating and 38 kills on Grayhound’s map to set his team up for a possible 2-0 win.

FURIA lost the first pistol round on their map pick, Vertigo, but their superiority on the map became apparent as early as the third round. The South American combine went from 0-2 to 11-4 at the half before moving onto the CT side.

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 18
03/09/2023	GamerLegion 19:30 FURIA	Match

It didn't take long for FURIA to put the seal on their passage to the lower bracket final. Grayhound, up against match point, did briefly react to extend the series, but ultimately in vain.

Nicholas "⁠guerri⁠" Nogueira's men closed it out 16-8, adding insult to injury by doing it on an eco, and will play against GamerLegion later on Sunday, at 19:30 , for a spot in the playoffs.