M80's journey at the Esports World Cup came to an abrupt end after a 2-0 defeat against the newly reformed Aurora squad in Group A's lower bracket. Following their opening loss to G2 in a tight best-of-one, the North American team faced elimination and couldn't find their footing against the international roster.
The action kicked off on Dust2, Aurora's map selection. M80 grabbed the pistol round but Aurora quickly responded with four consecutive rounds to seize control. The first half remained contested, with Aurora holding a narrow 7-5 advantage at the break. Aurora extended their lead to 11-5 early in the second half before M80 mounted a comeback attempt. Despite Mason "Lake" Sanderson's impressive 103 average damage per round, Aurora held firm to close out the map 13-9.
Inferno, M80's pick, offered little respite. Aurora dominated the opening half after winning the pistol and anti-eco rounds, with M80 struggling to secure entry frags. The international squad built an 8-4 halftime lead and pushed further ahead in the second half, reaching match point at 12-6. M80 showed resilience with a four-round streak, but Aurora sealed the deal at 13-9 once again.
The American squad departs the Esports World Cup without securing a single map win. They'll look to bounce back at BLAST Open Porto, scheduled to begin on August 26th.
