CSGO: Liquid beat Fnatic, broke the curse and won IEM Sydney 2019

Liquid became the new king of the IEM Sydney 2019 tournament after winning against fnatic in a tight BO5 series.

When the two teams entered the final match, all the fans around the world wondered: “Can Liquid break the curse?” This is the question that has stuck with Liquid for the past year. After losing 10 finals, can the North American boys reach their full potential?

At times, it seemed like Liquid’s fate would be cruel again when the team squandered their 2-1 advantage by losing at Dust2. But unlike the previous finals, the boys regained their composure and got through, although Inferno’s final round was a bit flawed.

A strong start from CT’s fnatic right at their map pick forced Liquid to use the first timeout within 5 rounds. The North American team continued to fall behind fnatic’s defense, and were trailed 9-0.

Liquid finally took the first morale score, thanks to Stewie2k’s 1v2 clutch at B. As if awakened, Liquid began their near-perfect comeback.

WHAT WAS THAT TAG BY @twist?! ?#IEM pic.twitter.com/M7n0vEeKy6

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) May 5, 2019

Down 5-10, Liquid took the pistol round and the next anti-eco round. But when fnatic got their money, the game completely changed. The Swedish team won 5 consecutive rounds to reach the map point. Liquid still tried to counterattack, but failed. In the 26th round, Brollan ended the map with a 4.

The 16-year-old continued to excel on Overpass, giving fnatic the lead in the pistol round – a map that Liquid have won six times in a row. Liquid responded immediately and overwhelmed the opponent. However, fnatic fought hard towards the end of the first half, and narrowed the gap to 3 rounds.

A 4K in the round for @nitr0 to clutch out the pistol round! ?#IEM pic.twitter.com/6zyjR6LRKd

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) May 5, 2019

With Nitro’s unbelievable 1v3 clutch in the pistol round, Liquid widened the gap with Fnatic. But when the gun round started, Liquid’s defense was still not ready, giving fnatic a 13-12 lead.

It seemed like fnatic had successfully come back, but EliGE saved the team with a treble, stopping the opponent’s winning streak. Map Overpass lasted until the last round: nitr0 made a 3 to help Liquid equalize 1-1.

Going to Mirage, Liquid had a slow start, losing 4 of the first 5 rounds, but immediately tightened the defense. Liquid restricted the opponent from scoring any more points and temporarily led 9-6 in the first half.

To T, Liquid continued to overwhelm fnatic with a successful pistol round. The Swedes tried to find opportunities to counterattack, but with any round they won, Liquid immediately pulled back. The North American team quickly ended the map with a slant to one hand to touch the championship.

ONE, MORE. MAP. ?

That is all that is needed for ???? @TeamLiquid to take home the #IEM Sydney 2019 Trophy!

Will they take Dust II as well, or will ?? @FNATIC find their way to a Map 5?

? https://t.co/fTBRGuUiMV#IEM pic.twitter.com/hL1I42CxDK

— Intel®ExtremeMasters (@IEM) May 5, 2019

Twistzz had an impressive opening at Dust2 with an ace. Unfortunately, Liquid couldn’t celebrate long after fnatic re-stabilized the roster while hoarding money. The Swedish team continuously broke through Liquid’s defense, leading 5-2 and ending the first half with a difference of 3 rounds.

In the second half, Liquid completely broke the match. There was nothing they could do against fnatic’s solid defence: fnatic won 7 rounds in a row and finished the game with an overwhelming scoreline of 16-6.

That’s a huge round for @Xizt – a 3k! ?#IEM pic.twitter.com/VFfWo8wYI8

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) May 5, 2019

Enter the 5th and final map, Inferno. Liquid heated up and soon took a 10-2 lead on CT, constantly putting pressure on the fnatic boys. The Swedish team finally got their winning streak, but lost outright in the last round: Twistzz won 4 with UMP to help their team reach the score 11.

The Canadian player continued to have a 4 in the next pistol round, widening the gap for Liquid to 14-4. However, fnatic refused to give up, the team won continuously in many rounds. This makes Liquid fans reminiscent of the bitter defeat at ESL One New York against mousesports.

However, in the end, the NA team got themselves round 15 first and then a successful B round, ending the tense series and taking home their first big trophy.

Final rankings of the teams:

first. Liquid – $100,000
2. fnatic – $40,000
3-4. NRG – $20,000
3-4. MIBR – $20,000
5-6. NiP – $10,000
5-6. mousesports – $10,000
7-8. BIG – $8,000
7-8. Grayhound – $8,000
9-12. MVP PK – $5,000
9-12. Chiefs – $5,000
9-12. FaZe – $5,000
9-12. Renegades – $5,000
13-16. eUnited – $4,000
13-16. Heroic – $4,000
13-16. BOOT-d[S] – $4,000
13-16. Vici – $4,000