The World Championship is nearing its conclusion, with the penultimate match of the lower bracket final taking place last night. Reigning champions LOUD faced off against the American "thieves" from Evil Geniuses, and we'll detail the match for you below.

The match began on the first map, Ascent, which was EG's pick. The battle there was quite even, with teams exchanging rounds, but in the end, thanks to extra rounds, the map owners secured a win with a score of 14-12. The next map, Lotus, chosen by the Brazilians, didn't go in their favor, ending with a loss of 4-13. A peculiar map choice, given that the team only had a 43% win rate on it from 7 matches, making the selection questionable. Regardless, the team redeemed themselves on Pearl, chosen by the "thieves". LOUD dominated the entire first half, eventually winning 13-8. They also took their pick, Split, without significant troubles, 13-7. In total, the map score was tied at 2-2, leading both teams to Bind for the decider. It's unclear what hindered the Brazilian team from performing at their peak; perhaps a lack of experience on the map, as LOUD only played Bind in 17 professional matches, compared to EG's 47. Or maybe EG just proved stronger that day. The clash on Bind ended with a 13-8 victory for the "Geniuses."

A special mention goes to LOUD's star player, the young duelist aspas, considered one of the best globally. His performance in this match was below his usual standards. On Ascent and Bind, he had an equal kill-death ratio, and on Lotus, a negative KD of 8-14. While these were lost maps for LOUD, it doesn't negate the fact that the duelist underperformed, contributing to the team's defeat.

Following the match results, LOUD exit the tournament in 3rd place, earning a cash prize of $250,000 and losing the chance to become the most titled team in the discipline. Evil Geniuses, on the other hand, advance to the grand final, where they'll face Paper Rex for the world champion title and the main tournament prize of $1,000,000. You can follow the match, its results, and all the news related to Valorant Champions 2023 on our website.

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