Yesterday, the semifinal stage of the VCT 2024: EMEA Kickoff concluded, determining the teams that will advance to the first Masters of the year. In one of the matches, European top teams Fnatic faced a devastating defeat, which subjected them to criticism from the entire community.

Recall that in the semifinal, there was a match between Fnatic and Karmine Corp, which ended with the latter winning 2-0. Read more about the match in our material. After the clash, the team's fans and the entire community following the esports scene were surprised by the devastating loss of the European tops. Regular players shared their thoughts on this event on one of the Valorant-dedicated forums.

Can someone explain to me how the most titled team in the world lost to players who spent last year in the tier-2 scene?
It's nonsense, could Fnatic have relaxed so much after dominating in 2023 that they lost without a chance?

The dissatisfaction of fans is quite understandable, considering the teams' results in the past season. In 2023, Fnatic won two major tournaments, with prize pools of $500,000 and $1,000,000, respectively, and also placed 4th at the World Championship. Their opponents, who proved to be stronger in 2023, did not win any prize places in official tournaments, making them underdogs in this clash.

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It remains unclear why the "Oranges" lost so easily and missed their chance to qualify for Masters Madrid. We will be waiting for the final of the EMEA Kickoff to find out if the underdogs become the unexpected winners of the tournament.