Imperial knock out IHC from PGL Major

At the end of a thrilling three-map series, it's Imperial that keep their Major campaign alive at the expense of IHC.

The day's first elimination series saw IHC and Imperial go the distance, with Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo's squad pulling off the reverse sweep over their Mongolian opponents, dropping Mirage 11-16, taking their map pick Overpass 16-10, and finally wrapping up the series with a 16-12 Inferno victory.

IHC's loss means their run at the PGL Major Antwerp has come to an end with the Mongolians bowing out of the competition 1-3, their lone win coming from a victorious effort against Renegades.

The first pistol round of the series may have went the way of Imperial, however IHC were able to secure three rounds in a row after that, capitalizing on the Brazilians' struggles on team economy. Imperial then went on a six-round spree as their early CT side performance consistently denied the Mongolians the chance to plant the bomb.

Down four to their Brazilian counterparts, IHC began to pick up the pace and break through the defense put up by FalleN's crew as they scored the five remaining rounds in the first half to lead heading into the switch, 8-7.

Five out of the first six rounds coming out of the break went IHC's way, putting Imperial in a lot of trouble as they couldn't find an answer to the Mongolians' site defense. Imperial stayed resilient by nabbing three straight rounds to their name, however IHC's team coordination and Tengis "⁠sk0R⁠" Batjargal's server-high 30 kills were too much for the Brazilians to overcome as they suffered an 11-16 defeat on Mirage.

Imperial got the ball rolling early on Overpass as Garidmagnai "⁠bLitz⁠" Byambasuren's squad faltered in their attempts to prevent their opponents from taking control of site, with the Mongolians finding themselves at a 1-5 deficit after six rounds of play. IHC bounced back from their slump as Bat-Enkh "⁠kabal⁠" Batbayar and bLitz's firepower kept Imperial at bay, allowing their team to enter halftime up 8-7.

Just like the first half, the opening rounds of the second went Imperial's way, winning five out of the first six played to snatch the lead back from IHC. Despite the deficit, bLitz's squad kept things competitive with each round being tightly-contested between both teams. In the end, a magnificent overall performance from Ricardo "⁠boltz⁠" Prass, including some vintage AWPing from FalleN proved to be the Brazilians' deciding factor as they took Overpass and forced a decider on Inferno.

After two close maps, Imperial and IHC met on Inferno to decide which team will remain in contention for a Legends stage spot. IHC drew first blood after taking the pistol round as the attackers, which usually forces the CT side to save. This wasn't the case, however, as Imperial successfully converted a force-buy in the second behind Fernando "⁠fer⁠" Alvarenga and FalleN's Scout kills, the latter connecting two no-scopes through the smoke.

Following a technical pause, IHC and Imperial were almost inseparable, going back-and-forth as the scoreline read 4-4 by the end of the eighth round. Superior B site and Banana control from Imperial allowed the Brazilians to pull ahead 7-4, as FalleN shut IHC's advances down with his AWP. Imperial were able to round out the half by scoring three out of the last four rounds and establish a 10-5 lead after 15 rounds.

IHC opened the second period with an almost complete recovery of their deficit to Imperial by winning five straight rounds after dropping pistol, narrowing the gap to just one. The succeeding rounds were extremely competitive as both teams continued to give it their all but ultimately it was FalleN's squad that fended off a potential comeback from IHC, securing a 16-12 win on Inferno to stay alive at the Major.