On Friday in a packed Lanxess Arena, Team SAW made an incredible breakthrough, defeating FaZe and securing a spot in the tournament semifinals. This event generated a lot of interest among cybersport fans, as SAW reached such a high stage at a prestigious competition for the first time in its history.
This match turned out to be significant not only for the team itself, but also for the entire CS community. SAW, which was considered an outsider against FaZe, demonstrated outstanding play and tactical preparation. In an interview Dust2.dk after the match, Coach BERRY noted, “This is huge. It's a semifinal. Recently we had a chance to reach the semifinals, but we lost to NAVI. We have seen FaZe play and we knew how we play ourselves, so we always believed in this. That's very important. It's something none of us have done before.”
SAW's path to success
To understand the significance of this win, it's worth looking back at the team's recent history. SAW had a chance to reach the semifinals not too long ago, but was defeated by NAVI. However, despite the past failures, the team did not lose confidence and prepared hard for the new challenges. Special attention was paid to practicing on certain maps such as Nuke, which played a key role in their success at the tournament.
Coach BERRY emphasized: “We knew we had good cards, we practiced and played with them a couple times and we felt our game was a good fit. We thought that, especially if we got Nuke as a third card, we would have a very good chance.” It was this confidence that helped the team handle the pressure and come out victorious against FaZe.
Defeating FaZe and advancing to the semifinals
The match between SAW and FaZe became a real sensation of the tournament. SAW not only reached the semifinals, but also defeated one of the best teams in the world, FaZe, with the score 2:0. This achievement is especially important for the team, as they also defeated G2, another top team. SAW will now face Vitality, and the players are full of confidence that they can continue their winning streak.
BERRY expressed his pride in the team and said, “We believe in this. We beat one of the best teams 2-0 in G2. Now we beat FaZe, which is another top team. We all believe in it and are full of confidence.” This performance underscores SAW's willingness to compete on equal footing with the elite of cybersport and demonstrates their ability to continue to progress.
The importance of winning for SAW
Defeating FaZe and reaching the semifinals of IEM Cologne is not just a success for SAW, it's a moment that could change the future of the team. Coach BERRY also shared his emotions: “It's hard to describe, but when you look at the audience you start to smile a little bit. Eventually, they started cheering for us too, and it makes you feel something in your body that is hard to put into words.” This result shows that SAW is capable of competing with the best teams in the world, and their confidence is only growing. All eyes are now on the upcoming match against Vitality, which will be a real test for the young team.
Source: Dust2.dk
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