The legendary Danish Squad was eliminated from the CCT North Europe Series 2 by #HEET in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, losing Dust2 (17-19) and Inferno. This was Nicolai #device Reedtz's first competition since rejoining #Astralis (19-22).
Device's initial return was triumphant as Astralis defeated fellow Danes. Tricked 2-0 in this competition's round of 16, but they were unable to defeat HEET in two intense overtime matchups.
The Quick Recap
Device himself stood out in the first game, going against Tricked with a 1.66 rating and over 100 ADR, and he was still impressive in defeat versus HEET with about 70 kills and a 1.27 rating throughout the course of the series.
Considering how Astralis started the match, it seemed that this would be another routine job done. Nikolai quickly got into the rhythm and once that happens, we all generally know how the story ends for the opponent.
However, the momentum they gained in the earlier rounds was not used in the right way. The opposing team managed to surprise them in the key moments of the match, contrary to the expectations of everyone in the audience. Astralis are known for their great execution in clutch moments, but this time they were beaten at their own game.
The big game-changer for the French team was Aurélien #afro Drapier, whose 34 kills and seven first kills on Dust2 and 33 additional kills and eight first kills on Inferno helped wrap up the series. It was by far his best performance in the tournament, and as he said after the match, his most exciting career highlight. If at least a similar performance is repeated in one of the next matches, HEET have many reasons to hope even for the finals.
It was only natural that the AWPer defeated Device and Benjamin #blameF Bremer in a 1v2 clutch to end the final round of Inferno. After that, it was clear to everyone that Astralis was finished and that they had witnessed the biggest upset of the tournament.
The Next Stage
HEET advances to play an energetic HAVU team in the semifinals after the Finns defeated OG and forZe earlier in the competition. This match will be a great opportunity for them to show their quality and prove to everyone that the victory over Astralis was not just a fluke.
In addition to the above, several more exciting matches await us. GamerLegion will face ECLOT on the opposite side of the bracket, and ENCE will square off against Endpoint to determine the other semi-final matchup.
