The most interesting matches throughout PGL Antwerp 2022

The PGL Major, hosted in Antwerp, the largest city in Belgium, was unique in many ways. Massive roster shuffles were coming into 2022, with multiple lineups looking incredibly strong. The PGL Antwerp 2022 Major was where these teams would make their Major debut with their new fresh rosters. It was challenging to make CSGO betting predictions as no one had accurate data on how some post-shuffle lineups would perform. Every CSGO fan and even the players participating in the tournament were excited to see how it would play out. Boy, did the teams not disappoint. Check out the best matches throughout the tournament that made this Major very memorable!

Team Spirit vs FaZe Clan – Semi-Finals Match

This particular matchup was quite enjoyable once you considered the current status of both of these teams. FaZe is ranked as the number 1 team in the world coming into the major, while Team Spirit was complete underdogs that “somehow” made it to the Top 4. Though FaZe were the clear favorites, Team Spirit surprised the world, as Team Spirit displayed their resilience and showed that they didn’t fluke their way to the Top 4.

FaZe Clan was the team that had the first map pick, in which they selected Mirage. FaZe quickly was able to show why they were ranked as the number 1 team, as they were able to finish off the first half with a 10 to 5 start on the Terrorist side. However, Team Spirit displayed solid mental strength, ignoring the scoreline and bouncing back into the game after winning the pistol round. After a rally of rounds between both teams, ropz could close out the match with a clutch, resulting in the game-ending 16 to 13, a score closer than people expected. PGL Antwerp 2022

The following map was Dust II, Team Spirit’s map pick. Teams from the CIS region are known to dominate on this specific map, and Team Spirit was ready to do their best to prove it. The first half ended on a 9 to 6 score in favor of FaZe, but Team Spirit stood firm and managed to take the score to 15 to 13 in their favor, but FaZe Clan managed to take the game into Overtime. What came next was one of the most legendary games in Counter-Strike history. With lots of individual performances and a one versus four clutches by Team Spirit’s magixx, the game managed to go to four Overtime, where FaZe Clan managed to win the match with a score of 25 to 23.

Image Credit: HLTV

It was a hard-fought series, leaving fans in the arena on their feet when it ended. Though Team Spirit failed to win the series, they won the hearts of many Counter-Strike fans worldwide.

FaZe Clan vs Natus Vincere – Grand Finals Match

The Grand Finals matchup we got on PGL Antwerp 2022 was the dream face-off for any CSGO viewer, whether they are fans of the two teams or not. This matchup had the #1 team in the world facing off against the #2 team. Na’Vi were here to defend their title, looking to win back-to-back Majors after winning PGL Stockholm last year. However, FaZe wasn’t ready to give the title up, as this would be karrigaN and rain’s time to win a major after their unexpected loss over Cloud9 in 2018. Both teams had so much on the line, and they also showed how badly they wanted to win on the server.

Courtesy HLTV

The first map of the series was Inferno, arguably FaZe’s best map. FaZe Clan quickly took a dominant 10 to 5 lead on their Terrorist side, even though Inferno is a CT-sided map. Things were looking bleak for Na’Vi, but s1mple and his crew were not done yet. With good communication and strat-calling, Natus Vincere somehow was able to pull the game back within their reach, winning ten Terrorist rounds to bring the score to 15 to 13 in their favor. However, FaZe were in this exact same situation just yesterday against Team Spirit, showing that they just slipped up a few times, evening out the score to go into Overtime.

It is scarce to see Overtimes happen in Major Finals. Still, we witnessed this moment from the undisputed #1 and #2 teams. FaZe could show why they were the best Inferno team in the world and closed out the series 19 to 16, crediting the solid Terrorist side on this map.

The following map was Nuke, which was Natus Vincere’s map pick, and one of their best maps to boot. Unfortunately, Na’Vi couldn’t get their T side going, and FaZe Clan was able to ultimately close out the map in a convincing fashion. This meant that FaZe Clan had won the series 2 to 0, with karrigaN and rain finally winning their first Major.

Team Imperial vs Cloud9 – Group Stage Elimination Match

The “Brazilian Last Dance” led by FalleN was hanging on the ropes of elimination, where they had to face the #3 ranked team, CIS giants Cloud9. Everyone interested in predictions on CSGO matches knew that Cloud9 would blow Imperial out with ease, but that was not what happened in this series.

The first map was Overpass, Imperial’s map pick. Imperial couldn’t get their T side going and lost the first half 5 to 10. However, Cloud9 seemed nervous and pressured and couldn’t get their T side going either, evening up the score and going into Overtime. The Brazilian legends showed that they could play in high-pressure Overtime situations as they would normally breathe. Their brimming experience in LAN events helped FalleN’s team win through four Overtimes, with a score of 25 to 22.

Next up was Cloud9’s map pick Vertigo. The CIS roster quickly showed why they were ranked number 3 worldwide, doing quick work and closing the series out 16 to 9. Mirage would be the last map that one of these teams would play in the Major, as the loser would be eliminated. Most players had placed their CSGO betting predictions on Cloud9 to win the third map and move on, but FalleN “the Librarian,” quickly shut the doubters up. Imperial shocked the entire CSGO betting world as they completely demolished Cloud9 16 to 3 to move on to the tournament.

Courtesy HLTV

Imperial was able to defy everyone’s predictions on CSGO matches and was able to win in front of one million Brazilian viewers who were watching live. This match was quite the upset, but fans around the world respected the Imperial players, who were able to take out a Top 3 team from the major.

Conclusion

The major had its fair share of nail-biting overtimes and was a fascinating event to watch. We witnessed individual prowess from players such as s1mple and rain, and many clutch plays from many players. Most importantly, we enjoyed some crazy storylines throughout the tournament. PGL Antwerp 2022 will be a memorable tournament for CS fans.