Liquid beat fnatic; into ECS semi

Liquid are through to the semi-final stage at the ECS Season 5 Finals after defeating fnatic 2-0 (16-5 on Nuke and 16-13 on Inferno) in Group A's decider match.

On the first map of the series, Liquid got the better start on the T-side of Nuke securing the pistol as well as the following anti-ecos. Nick "⁠nitr0⁠" Cannella and co. pressed on to add two more to their lead to make it 5-0 before Jesper "⁠JW⁠" Wecksell's artistic display with the AWP won fnatic's first round of the half.

Liquid didn't back down and continued to harass the CT's with two more added to their lead, but the Swedes managed to snap the streak with a clean retake to win their second of the half (2-7). Liquid's relentless aggression kept the Swedes backs against the wall with four in a row, but with little economy fnatic managed to close the half with two of their own, 11-4.

Liquid continued their dominance on the CT-side winning the second pistol following the anti-ecos for a 14-4 lead. A full buy from fnatic forced the CT's to back down and save, but Liquid's strong economy allowed for the North Americans to win two in a row, securing the map and the series lead.

EliGE led Liquid with a 1.40 rating in the sweep

The series moved on to Inferno, Liquid's map pick, where a smooth double from JW on the retake granted the Swedes the pistol win. fnatic's stout defense didn't leave much room for Liquid, who eventually won their first after trailing for six rounds (1-6).

The two sides then traded rounds, but Liquid was able to establish an economy and claim five in a row to finish the half 8-7. Liquid came out swinging in the second half applying pressure against the Swedes to secure the second pistol, which put the North Americans in the wheelhouse to win four in a row (12-8).

A timeout called by the Swedes proved to pay off as fnatic finally claimed a round of their own on a full buy that forced the CT's to save. Jonathan "⁠EliGE⁠" Jablonowski nearly came out on top in a 1v1 post-plant but the bomb went off before the North American could defuse, reducing fnatic's deficit to two.

With money in the bank, fnatic were able to keep Liquid on their heels, but the North Americans were flawless on their retakes winning three in a row to reach match point. However, a 1v2 from Richard "⁠Xizt⁠" Landström kept his team alive in the 26th round which allowed the Swedes to win three in a row, but Liquid finally put the nail in the coffin to take the series and a spot in the semifinals.

ECS Season 5 FinalsBest of 3 LiquidMatchpage 2 0 9th June 2018 fnatic 16Nuke 5 16Inferno 13

Liquid	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Jonathan 'EliGE' JablonowskiEliGE	44 - 29	+15	87.6	1.40
Russel 'Twistzz' Van DulkenTwistzz	41 - 25	+16	85.9	1.38
Keith 'NAF' MarkovicNAF	35 - 28	+7	81.0	1.22
Epitacio 'TACO' de MeloTACO	36 - 28	+8	79.5	1.16
Nick 'nitr0' Cannellanitr0	32 - 26	+6	65.6	1.14

fnatic	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Jesper 'JW' WecksellJW	37 - 41	-4	77.7	0.93
Freddy 'KRIMZ' JohanssonKRIMZ	30 - 33	-3	58.5	0.91
Richard 'Xizt' LandströmXizt	29 - 35	-6	61.4	0.86
Robin 'flusha' Rönnquistflusha	19 - 37	-18	60.5	0.67
Maikil 'Golden' SelimGolden	21 - 42	-21	60.0	0.65

Jonathan 'EliGE' Jablonowski Age: 20 Team: Liquid Rating 1.0: 1.07 Maps played: 851 KPR: 0.75 DPR: 0.69 Liquid #5 Nick 'nitr0' CannellaKeith 'NAF' MarkovicJonathan 'EliGE' JablonowskiEpitacio 'TACO' de MeloRussel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken Richard 'Xizt' Landström Age: 27 Team: fnatic Rating 1.0: 1.02 Maps played: 1340 KPR: 0.69 DPR: 0.65 Nick 'nitr0' Cannella Age: 22 Team: Liquid Rating 1.0: 1.02 Maps played: 877 KPR: 0.70 DPR: 0.67 Jesper 'JW' Wecksell Age: 23 Team: fnatic Rating 1.0: 1.08 Maps played: 1331 KPR: 0.75 DPR: 0.68 fnatic #6 Richard 'Xizt' LandströmRobin 'flusha' RönnquistJesper 'JW' WecksellFreddy 'KRIMZ' JohanssonMaikil 'Golden' Selim