Russian Gambit, playing under the name Players due to sanctions restrictions, advanced to the Legends stage of the PGL Major, winning a tense match with Astralis on three maps.
The first map was Ancient, chosen by the Danes, but from the very beginning the game did not go well for them: Vladislav’s team “nafany” Gorshkova blocked almost all of their actions, and soon the score reached 6 – 1 in favor of Players. By the time the sides changed, they managed to level the game, and then create pressure on the enemy in the second half of the map. However, Players were able to repel Astralis’ attacks, leaving the map behind with a score of 16 – 13.
The next map was Dust2, which Astralis had been having problems with lately. However, this time the Danish eSports players managed to demonstrate exceptionally well-coordinated play and the ability to use the opportunities provided. Soon they were already leading 8 – 3. At some point, the team from the CIS almost equalized the score, but after switching sides, the advantage began to grow again. The map went to Astralis with a score of 16 – 12 in favor of the Danes.
The outcome of the match was decided on Inferno. Before the change of sides, Players twice managed to take a few points ahead, but Astralis again made up the difference. But in the second half of the map, the superiority of the CIS team became overwhelming, and it won Inferno with a score of 16 – 8, thus securing a place at the major.
