On December 14, Natus Vincere suffered an unexpected defeat at the BLAST Premier World Final, losing to Liquid with a score of 1 – 2. This significantly reduced NAVI’s chances of finishing the year with a third impressive victory, since now the team of Alexander “s1mple” Kostylev faces a difficult path to the final in the lower bracket of the tournament. To enter the fight for the main trophy of the championship, NAVI will need to win five consecutive victories.
For American Liquid, participation in the BLAST Premier World Final – This is the last appearance in the current lineup before the big changes that await the team in 2022. Now she managed to qualify for the upper bracket of the tournament. In the semi-finals, which will take place on Thursday, she will face Gambit.
The match between Natus Vincere and Liquid was played out on three maps. In the first (Overpass) Liquid was able to win with a slight advantage (11 - 16). On Dust2, chosen by NAVI, the team from the CIS regained its advantage, ending its rally with a score of 16 – 7. The fate of the match was decided on Inferno: having lost the first round, Liquid players subsequently dominated the map, and NAVI failed to build a reliable defense. At some point the count reached 1 – 15 in favor of Liquid. Their opponents played only a few rounds, and the map ended with a score of 7 – 16.
