Astralis is safe in top 8 in Berlin

After Astralis lost to NRG the other day, the Danes received a chance to get into the top 8 through the Major again tonight. This time its opponent was CR4ZY, which has recently beaten teams like FaZe and NiP.

The winner of the match secured itself a spot on the “Champions Stage”, where the loser has to battle again tomorrow with the 2-2 result.

Astralis |2-1| CR4ZY

Hell

Astralis started the match off well at Inferno, a map which they are known to have mastered. CR4ZY, on the other hand, has shown incredibly poor play on the area in recent months, and so was in a difficult situation from the start.

Despite the statistics, the match was closer than expected. In the first half, the Danes had problems in many rounds and had to pause 7-8. It was only at the 11-11 position that the Danes started to get fully into gear and shut down completely. The match ended 16-11 for Astralis.

dust2

On the second map, Dust2, it was time for Astralis to step up to the individual level, showing that they can dominate as in the good old days.

Dominicans did the Danes at the start as well and were fast ahead with five rounds. After that, CR4ZY got a better grip on the game, making the first half closer than the competitors thought. Astralis went for a break with a lead of 9-6. In the second half, CR4ZY came back in the game, securing overtime.

Again this time, Astralis was going out in a marathon of another world. The match went five times overtime before CR4ZY closed the game 31-29, causing Astralis, for the second consecutive day, to lose a five-time overtime match.

In addition to the victory for CR4ZY, the match is now also the longest ever seen on the Major. The record was beaten by one round.

Vertigo

The whole evening had to end at Vertigo, a map we have only seen Astralis play twice since it was added.

Despite the defeat on the previous map, Astralis made a hard run, winning the first half 11-4. With the good wind in the sails, the Danes in the second half managed to end the game 16-5.

Astralis now has a small week to prepare for the quarterfinals that are going to take place on September 6.

On the second stream, North has also played that night, and unfortunately is out of the tournament, after a 2-0 defeat to Liquid.