KRÜ have defeated yet another dominant team.
KRÜ Esports’ Cinderella story continues as they overcame Fnatic in the VALORANT Champions quarterfinals and now face Gambit Esports in the semifinals.
After overcoming Cloud9 Blue and beating Vision Strikers, Fnatic won the top seed in Group D without missing a series. KRÜ had a somewhat more difficult time in group play, losing their first match to Team Liquid before going on to secure the second spot in Group B with a win over FURIA and another stunning victory over Sentinels.
ESO CAPITÁAAAN @KlaussOW pone 4k y estamos 2-2 vs @FNATIC #VALORANTChampions ▶️ https://t.co/pIpIZNMgy5 pic.twitter.com/0eDr598qh3
— KRÜ Esports 🤟🇩🇪 (@KRUesports) December 9, 2021
The teams began their quarterfinals battle on Haven, KRÜ’s map selection. Fnatic dominated the first two rounds on offensive, however they were stopped in round three by KRÜ. Klaus scored an amazing quad-kill in round four to tie the game, and they also won round five. However, Fnatic controlled the remainder of the first half, winning 8-4.
DEUS HAY UNO SOLOOOOOO @keznitdeuS CLUTCHAZOOOO 7-10 #VALORANTChampions ▶️ https://t.co/pIpIZNMgy5 pic.twitter.com/ry4Xqs2mWR
— KRÜ Esports 🤟🇩🇪 (@KRUesports) December 9, 2021
Fnatic took the pistol round once more, while KRÜ took rounds 14 and 15. The next round was won by Fnatic by defusing the Spike, but the South American squad dominated the rest of the half. Keznit won a two-on-one match in round 17, and his side maintained their comeback by winning the following two rounds. Fnatic were one round away from winning the opening map before KRÜ won three consecutive rounds to force overtime.
KRÜ took the first round of overtime, but Fnatic came back to take round 26. KRÜ then won the following two rounds to establish a 1-0 series lead.
PEGUEEEE @keznitdeuS PEGUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ACE Y 6K SISI 6K PAPÁ
1-2 En Ice Box!#VALORANTChampions ▶️ https://t.co/pIpIZNMgy5 pic.twitter.com/Q3WXQphby5
— KRÜ Esports 🤟🇩🇪 (@KRUesports) December 9, 2021
Fnatic’s map selection on Icebox was the second map, and for good cause. They completely overpowered KRÜ in the first half, finishing with a 10-2 score. Keznit earned an ace in round three, but this was his team’s highlight of the half.
Fnatic’s attack began in the second half, as they won the pistol round. KRÜ finally won two rounds in a row in rounds 14 and 15, but Fnatic stopped them in round 16 by defusing the Spike. KRÜ won the next two rounds to keep the series alive, but Fnatic won round 19 to advance the series to map three on Split.
KRÜ played superb defense in the first half, forcing Fnatic to fight tooth and nail for every square inch of the map. The sides took turns winning rounds, but KRÜ maintained a consistent advantage and won the half 7-5. They had better offensive success and won the first three rounds of the second half to take a 10-5 lead.
Fnatic halted the bleeding in round 16 by defusing the Spike, but KRÜ went on to win the next two rounds and advance to the semifinals. Fnatic rallied back and won rounds 19 and 20 by defusing the Spike, but KRÜ was not going to let them. In round 21, they pushed their way onto the B site and put the spike while every player was still alive. Fnatic were unable to regain the site and were eventually sent home by the South American team.
On December 11 at 2 p.m. CT, KRÜ will face Gambit Esports in the semifinals.