The competition in Summit Clash is heating up, and we now know all the teams that have made it through to the semi-finals. The last team to secure their place was Nexium POLteam. The team, which had sailed through the group stage without a hitch, had to fight a much tougher battle this time round. The quarter-final against Horizon Youngsters only ended after three maps, but ultimately it was the ‘Poles’ who emerged victorious 2-1. So, what was the match like?
The undefeated POLteam finally stopped?
Nexium POLteam 2-1 Horizon Youngsters
6:13 | Nuke
The first map was Horizon Youngsters’ choice, so it was Nexium POLteam who kicked off the contest on Nuke on the CT side. Right from the pistol round, the opponents imposed their style, quickly taking the bombsite and seizing the lead. The “Poles” managed to secure just one kill at that stage, which wasn’t enough, and in the next round, stripped of their gear, they once again had to concede defeat to their opponents. The first full buy also went Horizon’s way, forcing POLteam into another eco round.
The opponents’ winning streak continued until the score reached 0-6, when the deadlock was finally broken. A brief surge brought in two rounds, but with the score at 2-7, the team knew they had to change their approach. And indeed, the game began to look better from then on, with the first half eventually ending 5-7. Although Horizon still held the upper hand, POLteam showed that they could find a way past their opponents.
Unfortunately, the pistol round after the side switch went to the opponents once again. Unable to plant the bomb, the “Poles” had to play an economy round, and their first full buy-in gave them only momentary joy. In the following rounds, Horizon regained the initiative and did not allow any further threats, closing out the map with a confident 6-13 victory.
13:4 | Mirage
The second map, Mirage – Nexium POLteam’s pick – took a completely different course from Nuke right from the start. Although Horizon started on the side considered the easier one, they were completely unable to stop the “Poles’” superbly prepared attacks. A 4-0 start for POLteam clearly showed who was calling the shots. It wasn’t until the fifth round that the rivals found an answer and managed to catch up, halting their opponents’ offensive for a few minutes.
With the score at 4:3, it seemed that Horizon might still level the score, but that was precisely when POLteam stepped up a gear. They bagged the next few rounds, and their dominance continued right until the end of the first half, which ended with a comfortable 9:3 lead.
After the sides switched, the lead only grew as the “Poles” won the second pistol round and added further rounds with ease, even when Horizon attempted a force buy. With the score at 12-3, they were just one point away from forcing a decider. Admittedly, their opponents surprised them once more and kept their hopes alive, but it was only a brief flash in the pan. POLteam kept their cool and closed out Mirage with a 13-4 scoreline, levelling the match.
13:11 | Ancient
The decisive Ancient map proved to be a true test of character for both teams. Nexium POLteam started on the CT side, but Horizon dominated the opening stages, comfortably taking the first two rounds. The rivals had the wind in their sails and kept adding to their tally, and it wasn’t until the fifth round that the “Poles” managed to break through. However, this was only a brief flash of brilliance, as Horizon quickly got back into the game and pulled away to 1:7.
It seemed the situation was becoming very difficult, but it was then that POLteam found an answer. A fantastic finish to the first half saw them take four rounds in a row, which allowed them to reduce the deficit to 5-7 and gave them a real chance of a comeback after the break.
The pistol round in the second half was an absolute thriller, with a Horizon player coming within a hair’s breadth of defusing the bomb (falling short by less than 0.1 seconds), but ultimately the defuser was taken out and the round went to POLteam. The “Poles” then capitalised on their momentum, taking the next round as well and levelling the score at 7-7. Horizon, however, responded with a run of their own and, with the score at 7-10, had their opponents up against the wall.
The full buy proved crucial; at that score, a loss could have effectively ended the match. POLteam withstood the pressure, won the do-or-die round and got back into the contest. Moments later, they levelled the match, though Horizon regained the lead once more after a tactical timeout. That, however, was their last burst of energy. The closing stages belonged to Nexium, who kept their cool and closed out the map 13-11, securing their place in the Summit Clash semi-finals, where the foxes of VoFoxen await them.
POLteam (x.com — Facebook — website — team profile)
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