Team Liquid kicked off their playoff campaign at Stake Pulse Beat I with a commanding performance against European squad 9INE, advancing to the semifinals with minimal resistance.
The North American roster looked utterly dominant throughout the best-of-three series, conceding a mere ten rounds in total. Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski delivered a masterclass performance, spearheading his team's victory with exceptional fragging power.
The action started on Cache, 9INE's map choice, but Liquid quickly seized control. Opening with four consecutive rounds, the North Americans built momentum and established a dominant 9-3 lead by halftime. Their CT-side prowess set the tone for the remainder of the map, closing it out 13-4.
Liquid then moved to their preferred battleground, Anubis, a map that has become a staple in their repertoire since Johnny "JT" Theodosiou joined the roster. The Egyptian-themed map proved once again to be a strong pick, as Liquid replicated their first-half dominance with another 9-3 advantage. Though 9INE mounted a stronger resistance in the second half, it fell short of threatening Liquid's control. The final scoreline read 13-6 in favor of the North Americans.
EliGE topped the server with an impressive 40 eliminations, outpacing the second-highest fragger by eleven kills.
Liquid now awaits their semifinal opponent, which will be determined by tomorrow's matchup between fnatic and EAC. The semifinal clash is scheduled for 09:00 AM in Stockholm.
