In the ESL Pro League quarterfinals on Friday, Team FaZe defeated Natus Vincere 2 – 0, thus advancing to the next stage of the playoffs. Of all the four quarterfinal matches of the tournament, this one was the most anticipated, as it brought together the two teams with the highest ranking in the world so far.
The first card of the match was chosen by FaZe, and it turned out to be Inferno. Shortly after the match started, Natus Vincere ran into economic problems and lost six rounds in a row. The CIS team then managed to close the gap, but FaZe kept the pressure on even after the change of sides. The card draw ultimately ended with a score of 16 – 11. The game developed in a similar way on Dust2: FaZe managed to seize the advantage from the very beginning, reaching the score 11 – 4. After the change of sides NAVI looked more confident and significantly reduced the gap, but could not catch up with the opponent. This round also remained for FaZe with the score 16 – 12.
Now FaZe will face FURIA on Saturday. The second semifinal match will be a clash between NIP and ENCE, which will take place a little earlier in the day.