G2 repeat victory over ENCE to secure semi

G2 have secured themselves a spot in the ESL One New York semi-finals after beating ENCE in a rematch 2-1 (Dust2 19-17, Nuke 11-16, Overpass 16-11).

In a rematch of the opening round of Group A, in which G2 took down ENCE after performing a double comeback in the two-map series, the two teams met again for a spot in the semi-finals in the group's deciding match. Just like in the first encounter, the Frenchmen picked Dust2 and this time looked more confident early on despite a pistol round loss, going on to win seven rounds in a row once picking up full weaponry, winning a 3v5 and a 1v2 clutch by Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub along the way.

After recovering towards the end of the half with three of the last six rounds, ENCE lost the second pistol round to Lucas "⁠Lucky⁠" Chastang's triple but looked like the better team with rifles in hand as they pulled off a six-round streak featuring a 1v2 clutch from Jani "⁠Aerial⁠" Jussila. Although one round going the other way was enough to force them on an eco and G2 reached map point with two successful 2v2 retakes, their opponents held on thanks to Aleksi "⁠allu⁠" Jalli's great play late in regulation.

In the second overtime on Dust2 between the two sides in a matter of two days, it was still on a knife's edge when they went 2-2, but François "⁠amanek⁠" Delaunay's fantastic 1v3 clutch at that point swung the opening map in the favor of G2, who closed it one round later.

AmaNEk's massive clutch turned Dust2 into G2's favor

Switching over to Nuke, ENCE looked in the driving seat once they had enough money to buy up fully on the Terrorist side, utilizing the defense's rotations to find weaknesses on the map and grab a 7-3 lead after losing the opening pistol round. The Frenchmen found a way to three in a row, but at the end of the half it was still the Finnish side in control with a 9-6 advantage

When sides switched, allu & co. won the second pistol but lost the following anti-forcebuy to kennyS's 1v2 clutch, allowing G2 to reach double-digits. Still, ENCE managed to rally to victory without giving up much more, mainly thanks to smart play from Miikka "⁠suNny⁠" Kemppi, whose pistol double denied a bomb plant in the 22nd round, which led to a fairly smooth ending to the map at 16-11.

Overpass was left to decide the playoffs spot and it was G2 to get off the line first on the T side with the opening four rounds and subsequently a 6-2 lead after kennyS' 1v1 clutch. ENCE responded with multiple wins in disadvantageous situations, including a 3v5, a 2v3 retake in which allu got a triple, and a 1v2 clutch from Sami "⁠xseveN⁠" Laasanen, which saved the half for the Finns, who switched over with seven rounds.

ENCE went on to pick up a 10-9 lead after winning a second-round forcebuy, but they began to struggle afterwards, with G2 putting together a strong defense. Only a scrappy round in which Jere "⁠sergej⁠" Salo won a 1v1 went their way while the Frenchmen celebrated a repeat victory against their opponents and a spot in the playoffs.

ESL One New York 2019Best of 3 ENCEMatchpage 1 2 27th September 2019 G2 17Dust2 19 16Nuke 11 11Overpass 16

ENCE	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Aleksi 'allu' Jalliallu	74 - 61	+13	89.2	1.22
Miikka 'suNny' KemppisuNny	75 - 62	+13	88.3	1.22
Sami 'xseveN' LaasanenxseveN	52 - 69	-17	78.6	0.93
Jere 'sergej' Salosergej	54 - 62	-8	64.3	0.92
Jani 'Aerial' JussilaAerial	43 - 61	-18	55.8	0.83

G2	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Kenny 'kennyS' SchrubkennyS	80 - 56	+24	90.9	1.34
Lucas 'Lucky' ChastangLucky	57 - 55	+2	74.9	1.07
François 'amanek' Delaunayamanek	65 - 64	+1	79.0	1.06
Audric 'JACKZ' JugJACKZ	62 - 61	+1	72.7	1.04
Fabien 'kioShiMa' FieykioShiMa	50 - 63	-13	64.8	0.88

Sami 'xseveN' Laasanen Age: 25 Team: ENCE Rating 1.0: 1.00 Maps played: 857 KPR: 0.68 DPR: 0.67 François 'amanek' Delaunay Age: 26 Team: G2 Rating 1.0: 1.08 Maps played: 576 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.63 ENCE #6 Aleksi 'allu' JalliJani 'Aerial' JussilaMiikka 'suNny' KemppiSami 'xseveN' LaasanenJere 'sergej' Salo Miikka 'suNny' Kemppi Age: 25 Team: ENCE Rating 1.0: 1.08 Maps played: 1028 KPR: 0.76 DPR: 0.69 Aleksi 'allu' Jalli Age: 27 Team: ENCE Rating 1.0: 1.10 Maps played: 1376 KPR: 0.75 DPR: 0.64 Lucas 'Lucky' Chastang Age: 21 Team: G2 Rating 1.0: 1.04 Maps played: 461 KPR: 0.69 DPR: 0.64 G2 #13 Audric 'JACKZ' JugFabien 'kioShiMa' FieyKenny 'kennyS' SchrubFrançois 'amanek' DelaunayLucas 'Lucky' Chastang Jere 'sergej' Salo Age: 17 Team: ENCE Rating 1.0: 1.13 Maps played: 516 KPR: 0.76 DPR: 0.63 Jani 'Aerial' Jussila Age: 26 Team: ENCE Rating 1.0: 1.09 Maps played: 520 KPR: 0.74 DPR: 0.66 Kenny 'kennyS' Schrub Age: 24 Team: G2 Rating 1.0: 1.15 Maps played: 1550 KPR: 0.77 DPR: 0.63