NIP narrowly take down Team Liquid to advance in EPL Playoffs

The second match of ESL Pro League playoffs saw Team Liquid going up against NIP.

Team Liquid upset Heroic yesterday and was looking to continue their momentum, while NIP looked to do alright in this tournament before their roster changes take place at the conclusion of this tournament.

Despite the impending roster changes, NIP won the match 2-1.

Map One

On map one, the battle of REZ and phzy vs. Elige and NAF took place with both duos fighting to convert rounds for their teams.

Each round came down to the wire, and neither team seemed to have a clear advantage at any point in the match. In the end, however, REZ pulled off a 1v3 clutch to give NIP match point, which led to them converting the following round to take the map.

Map Two

Due to the closeness of map one, fans assumed that Liquid’s momentum would be shut down, but the opposite was true.

Like always, Team Liquid put together a stellar first half on their CT side to give themselves a 10-5 advantage at the half.

Most of the damage was done by NAF and oSee, but it was Shox who was able to deliver when Liquid needed him, and that boost gave Liquid the edge.

Initially, on their T side, Team Liquid fell short. But, with the help of some clutch plays from Elige and NAF, they were able to force the third map against NIP.

Map Three – The Decider

With everything on the table, both teams kicked into overdrive to try to advance in ESL Pro League.

While Liquid typically has worse T halves, the Americans got out to an early start, going up 7-2. However, it was all NIP after that.

The Swedish team first put together six rounds, mainly due to REZ’s 13 kills, to take the lead 8-7 going into the half.

After that, Plopski stepped up for the team, alongside REZ and phzy, posting 18 kills with nine deaths to give NIP the extra power needed to take down Team Liquid 2-1.