FURIA grind past NAVI to reach IEM Beijing playoffs

FURIA have booked their place in the IEM Beijing playoffs after beating Natus Vincere in a gruelling best-of-three, according to HLTV. The Brazilian side will next face The MongolZ for a semi-final spot, while Natus Vincere are sent to the lower bracket to meet the winner of Legacy against B8.

FURIA arrive at the knockout stage as the reigning IEM China champions and the newly crowned number one team in the HLTV ranking, with the result keeping alive their bid for a third consecutive trophy.

"It feels amazing, as we lost to NAVI last event," Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis told the stream after the win, according to HLTV.

The series opened on Ancient, where both pistol rounds fell to FURIA and the map went to overtime on the strength of Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato's fragging. Natus Vincere turned the tables in the extra rounds, however, sweeping all four to claim their map pick.

Nuke followed a similar overtime script. Natus Vincere built a 9-3 CT-side lead but could not close out the map in regulation. FURIA took both pistols and eventually forced overtime themselves, with KSCERATO delivering eight kills across a flawless 4-0 run to seal it.

Cache swung heavily FURIA's way after Natus Vincere won the series' first pistol round. FURIA answered with eight straight rounds to take control of their offensive half. Danil "molodoy" Golubenko briefly halted the momentum with a 1v3 clutch for Natus Vincere, but FURIA regained the initiative soon after.

Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo put the result beyond doubt with a noscope kill followed by a finger wag directed at Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen. FalleN finished the deciding map with 98.7 ADR, while Aleksib managed just eight frags across the whole of Cache.

FURIA's run to the playoffs followed an opening-round win over FaZe that also went the distance, as reported by Dust2.us. That meeting, the two sides' first since April, ended 2-1 in FURIA's favour and sent FaZe into the lower bracket.

FaZe actually won the opening map, Ancient, despite trailing 10-2 at the half, reeling off eleven straight rounds behind a CT-side display from Jakub "jcobbb" Pietruszewski that produced 17 kills, a 2.37 rating and a +10.94% round swing in the second half alone.

FURIA levelled the tie on Dust2, overturning a 7-5 half-time deficit with six consecutive rounds to close the map 13-5, before taking control of the decider on Cache. A 5/6 record on pistol rounds across the series, allied to a strong showing from Yuri "yuurih" Boian, underpinned the win.

FaZe's consolation route continues in the lower bracket against Falcons, a tie that Dust2.us notes will pit Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken against his former mentor Finn "karrigan" Andersen.