Astralis destroys Fnatic at MLG Columbus quarterfinals

On paper, Danish Counter-Strike team Astralis were facing the toughest possible opponent at the MLG Columbus quarterfinals, going up against a Fnatic team that's won the last six tournaments they attended.

But hardly anyone could have predicted how the game would play out. Most fans would have pegged Fnatic as the winners, maybe with Astralis having an outside shot at taking the game. Instead, the Danish side completely dismantled the current best team in the world.

Astralis remained firmly in the drivers seat on Overpass, their map pick, building a 10-5 lead on the CT-side and staying ahead in the second half, ending the map 16-10.

Fnatic's map pick, Cache, was the real surprise. Astralis clearly had their opponent figured, demolishing them for a 13-2 score at half time. Fnatic looked confused and bewildered as Astralis expanded their lead to match point, and while the Swedes did manage to squeeze out three round wins as terrorists, the game was effectively over at that point. Astralis closed the game 16-5. They'll face Natus Vincere in today's first semifinal.

Na'Vi had beaten Ninjas in Pyjamas in a safe 2-0 win earlier in the evening, eliminating the other Swedish team from the tournament with a 16-9 win on Inferno and 16-10 on Mirage. It was a match characterised by strong, safe play from Na'Vi, and while NiP did manage a slight comeback on the first map after being 11 rounds down, they were never in a position to take the game.

The US-only quarterfinal between Team Liquid and Counter Logic Gaming showed that the former knows how to handle pressure. CLG built a commanding lead on the first map, Cache, with the score sitting at 3-12 in their favor at halftime. S1mple and crew would have none of that, though, taking 11 rounds in a row on the T-side and winning the game 16-13. The second map, Mirage, was entirely one-sided, with Liquid not giving up any rounds during their T-side half and ending the game at 16-6.

Today's games begin at 15:00 BST / 16:00 CEST with the remaining quarterfinal between Luminosity Gaming and Virtus.Pro. The Na'Vi v Astralis semifinal is scheduled to kick off at 17:30 / 18:30, and the semifinal between Team Liquid and the LG/VP winner happening at 20:00 / 21:00 - unless the schedule slips, of course.