Imperial have their last dance at the Major as CPH Flames secure final playoff spot

Copenhagen Flames finally banished the demons of the previous Major by securing their spot in the playoffs, besting the Brazilian legends of Imperial 16-2 on Inferno and 22-18 on Vertigo.

Imperial captured the hearts of many this Major with their impressive performances, showing real poise under pressure and they nearly took the Danes to a third map in this series. Copenhagen Flames were likely the better team, but needed to wrestle with their nerves to take the final map over the line, something Nico “⁠nicoodoz⁠” Tamjidi referenced in his post-match interview.

The series began with Inferno, the pick of Imperial, with Copenhagen Flames on CT. The Danes started brightly, winning the pistol and converting it into a dominant CT half; Rasmus “⁠Zyphon⁠” Nordfoss was a menace over at A, and the varied setups from the Flames left Imperial struggling to find an answer. The Brazilians did manage to pick up a couple of rounds, entirely off the back of Vinicius “⁠VINI⁠” Figueiredo cracking open bombsites, but it was only good enough for an abysmal 2-13 half.

A pistol win for Copenhagen Flames put the result beyond doubt and the Danes duly closed the map out with zero fuss, the final score 16-2.

Next up was Vertigo, and once again Copenhagen Flames found themselves benefiting from a strong start, this time on the T side. A pistol win was converted by the Danes, and although Imperial did manage to battle their way to a few rounds early, it was never comfortable for the Brazilians, and slowly but surely Flames began to build a lead. Ultimately Imperial let too many 5v4 situations get away from them to win the half, but a late streak did net them a 6-9 score going into the second period.

A pistol win and follow-up round gave Imperial a way back into the game, and despite a string of three in reply from the Copenhagen Flames the Brazilians managed take control of the game, grinding their way all the way back to 13-13 by finally capitalising on their opening kills. The final throes of the map were a brawl, both teams digging deep to find unlikely round wins, the score ending 15-15 to go into overtime.

Overtime displayed both Copenhagen Flames prowess Vertigo, as well as their tendency to struggle in high pressure situations; after getting themselves to a 3-1 lead in the first OT period, they choked away two match points, one in a favoured 4v3 situation. The Danes made no mistake in the second period of OT, however, taking four rounds on the bounce to secure a 22-18 victory and the final spot in the playoffs.

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• Source: https://www.hltv.org/news/33844/imperial-have-their-last-dance-at-the-major-as-cph-flames-secure-final-playoff-spot

This Post was originally published on HLTV News