Yesterday we reported on Gloris eSports’ defeat in the ESEA Open10. Today, unfortunately, we have the same news to report, but concerning a different partner – Horizon Esports, which normally competes at a higher level, suffered a defeat in yesterday’s match. Their opponents were TheLastDragons, who went into the match with a record of 4 wins and 2 defeats. Our partner, on the other hand, had an even record of 3 wins and 3 defeats.
Horizon’s previous matches:
- 8:13 vs. AllEyesOn — Anubis
- 13:7 vs. KEBAB Sultans — nuke
- 13:11 vs. Serenity EC — ancient
- 13:16 vs. UNiTY AC — anubis
- 8:13 vs. STHLM CITY — ancient
- 13:10 vs. The TrongolZ — anubis
Let’s move on to the match itself, which took place on the de_ancient map. As we mentioned earlier, the final result was a defeat for Horizon Esports, although the score suggests a closely fought match, as our partner lost by just two points, with the final score 11–13.
Pistol round — (1:0)
Our partner kicked off their ESEA Intermediate Round 7 campaign on the terrorist side with a win in the pistol round.
Anti-eco round — (2:0)
We don’t know who’s calling the shots at Horizon Esports, but we do know it was a good decision to go for bombsite B in the second round, as the opposition were stacking the opposite bombsite.
First full round, first defeat — (2:1)
The terrorists’ (Horizon) mid push, viewed from a 2D perspective, went well, thanks in part to two frags from Lams0n. The subsequent push to Bombsite A also seemed like a good decision. Everything was going well until the opponents started to retake the site.
Rush A — (3:1)
What’s there to say? Horizon’s strategy for the next round was very simple – a Rush A. They managed to catch the opponents off guard and extended their lead.
We won’t be describing the entire first half round by round. Horizon Esports’ performance on the terrorist side was solid, as evidenced by the 8–4 score at half-time.
Horizon Esports 8:4 TheLastDragons (end of the first half)
Horizon Esports’ problems began as early as the second pistol round, where they ran out of defuse kits. The scoreboard read 8:5.
First full round after CT — (8:7)
The terrorists took up their positions straight away, then landed two opening shots on Cave, leaving us with a 3vs5 situation. Moments later, the terrorists extended their lead by one player, and interestingly, Horizon attempted to counter-attack – or rather, to stop the advance on Site B (2v5). Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful.
Second full round — (9:8)
The terrorists levelled the score at 8:8; this round was a full-on clash, so we really ought to have won it.
The terrorists secured the line with three players, then took the cave with two, before returning to the main site with two players to execute a so-called split to A. Horizon, in a 4v4 situation, recaptured Site A; from the 2d level, Horizon’s recapture looked straightforward – Lams0n landed two hits, at least up to a point; moments later, a 1v1 situation arose, but one of the players (Abo0K) managed to defuse the bomb, putting Horizon Esports back in the lead.
Unfortunately, Horizon went on to lose the subsequent full round, and the score was levelled again (9–9) in this match. An eco round followed; although they managed to take two players down, Horizon lost 9–10.
From the next round, the only thing I’ll remember is a 1v2 situation pulled off by fubrzzik. He dealt brilliantly with the first player; his next opponent was a ticking bomb and the lack of a defuse kit, which would certainly have helped in that situation. TheLastDragons now hold a two-point lead – 9–11.
A round from nowhere? — 10–11
Fortunately, it went in our partners’ favour. The opponents have Site A secured; it’s a 3v3 situation, though you could even call it 3v2.5, as one player is lurking from Site B – when the counter-terrorists decide to retake the site, he’s only just reached Site B. Poor positioning by the opponents, which our partner exploited despite having inferior gear (2x Deagle, 1x MP9). By the end of the round, only the aforementioned lurker and three counter-terrorists remained. He managed to hit just one player. Horizon makes contact and we’re at 10:11.
A twist for Horizon — 10:12
What’s there to say? Horizon were thrown off the scent; I don’t know what was going through their heads, but judging by the 2D view, I’d say they were expecting the terrorists to split on A. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and the aforementioned terrorists calmly made their way up the ramp to B, where the previously mentioned site was empty. Unfortunately, the round is lost and our opponents have two match points.
11:12
The next round, as you might have guessed from the score, was won by our partner. A rock-solid defence of bombsite B meant our partner could start thinking about fighting for overtime in the final round.
The terrorists played the same strategy that had worked before: securing the line, then moving into the Cave, where we later witnessed a 1-for-1 exchange. At one point, the counter-terrorists held a 4-on-3 advantage. Unfortunately, we ultimately failed to retake the site and the opposition secured another victory — the final score was 11–13.
Final score: 11:13 TheLastDragons
Looking at the first half, I think the Horizon players might feel a bit disappointed; leading 8–4, perhaps all that was missing was a pistol round win for the counter-terrorists, but we can only speculate now.
Horizon will have a chance to improve their record, which currently stands at 3 wins and 4 defeats, tomorrow at 8.00 pm, when they face the Romanian team “baiters”. We sincerely hope this match goes ahead, as the baiters’ last match ended in a walkover.
Horizon Esports (x.com)
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