Team Spirit beat FURIA Esports on Thursday in the quarterfinals of PGL Major Antwerp 2022. The statement 2-0 win means the Russian team is continuing their unexpected run at the Antwerp major.
With the win, Spirit advance to the PGL Major Antwerp semifinals. They will face off against tournament favorites FaZe Clan. As far as Spirit have come, toppling FaZe will be the biggest challenge yet for the unlikely underdogs of Antwerp.
“We will try our best,” Spirit’s Robert “Patsi” Isyanov said about their matchup against FaZe.
The 18-year-old rifler has been one of the best players for the team, but it was his teammates who stepped up in their match against FURIA. Another youngster, 19-year-old Pavel “s1ren” Ogloblin, was the revelation of the quarterfinals. He posted 45 kills and a 1.32 rating against FURIA.
As for FURIA, the last Brazilian team at the major is heading home. The result will be a disappointment for the team who had the untested Spirit in the first round.
Although the series was one-sided, the first map of Vertigo was competitive, though Spirit maintained the edge for most of the map. They ended Map 1 with a 16-12 scoreline. Ancient was more uneven. FURIA were only present in the first half. Once Spirit got onto the CT-side, it was total domination as they closed it out 16-8.
“We were just watching a demo of FURIA before this game and we know they push a lot,” Patsi said. “We do our stuff and just wait for it.”
Spirit, including their young guns, seemed calm and collected the entire match. While FURIA often looked focused and intense, the Russian side just appeared to be having fun.
“I’m feeling good because we are on the stage,” Patsi said. “We are just getting good vibes from here. We’re doing our best and that’s all.”
