The Poles in AGAiN are headed to the semi-finals of the WCG, and barring an upset the final, making their chances of taking home a medal huge. That path was very difficult though as they won their series on the very last round of the last map against Finland's Power Gaming . The Poles took the first map but then lost the second in the dying sages thanks to clutch Finnish play. The third map had PwR up huge in the first half but Polish offense was too much in the second and the Poles took the victory by the slimmest of margins and progress.



AGAiN 16:13 Power Gaming (dust2 - 9:6, 7:7)

First half

Power got the quick start winning the pistol as T going up 2:0, even kuben killing four Finns with an AK he picked up on an eco in the 3rd wasn't enough to stop PwR taking a 3:0 lead. The Poles took the next two but in the following round tihOp made a 2v4 into a 2v2 and ruuit killed the last two to win the round. In the 8th TaZ turned an eco round into a victory as he got and AK and once the round was down to a 1v1 killed tihOp to defuse. The next four rounds went Poland's way too and the game swung 7:5 in their favour. Finland only managed to take one of the last three rounds and so the half ended 9:6 in AGAiN's favour, largely thanks to big play from TaZ.


Second half

AGAiN took their T pistol round and ran up the score to 12:6 overall. PwR respoinded with three of their own as the AWP of tihOp started to warm up and be effective. In the 9th round a 3v3 ended up going in Finland's favour and they took their 5th round of the half, making it 13:11 to the Poles overall and keeping Finland within striking distance if they got their act together. The Poles won the 10th round but tihOp killed three exiting to put his score for the half to 20-4 on the board. Despite tihOp's kills AGAiN took rounds 12, 13 and 14 and so the game 16:13.



AGAiN 14:16 Power Gaming (train - 7:8, 7:8)

First half

The Finns looked to get their heads back in the game early and found themselves witha 5:3 lead as CTs, one they pushed out to an 8:3 lead. Poland was not going to ease up though and as is the pattern with that team they put together runs, this time one to take all the remaining rounds and finish the half 8:7 in the Finns' favour. Getting eight rounds as T would be a tall order for the Finns but they had little choice with themselves already a map down.


Second half

Winning the pistol round helped matters and let them go 2:0 up before the Polish team got on the board for the half. The teams traded rounds for the next four and the score sat at 12:10 in Finland's favour. AGAiN then ran up four rounds to make it 14:12 to them. At this point it was really do or die for the Finns and they responded as they needed to. tihOp and ruuit AWPing took the 12th round for them, while in the 13th two naSu headshots won a 2v2 situation in impressive fashion as the last saw him flying off a ladder only seconds before hitting it.

There was plenty of drama on the last round as a 3v1 became a 1v1 thanks to kuben's kills and he faced only plastE for a chance at overtime. plastE got the kill and gave his team the map win they needed to draw things level overall.



AGAiN 16:14 Power Gaming (inferno - 12:3, 4:11)

First half

If they'd been essentially on the backfoot the whole time until winning the second map the Finnish Power Gaming guys now were now ready to unleash a little of their frustrations as T and go for broke. They won the first three rounds, dropped one and then won four more to go up 7:1 with naSu putting a 13-4 score up on the board. Poland took three rounds back, beginning with a neo ace, and the score became 7:4. That would be it for the Poles in the half though as the Finns took it to 11:4.


Second half

Knowing they only needed five rounds to advance to the semi-finals the Finnish guys had to be feeling confident but that confidence would soon be tested as AGAiN won the pistol round and the next five rounds. Each time the Finns would have guns they'd end up in a situation where they would elect to save their weapons instead of attacking. This even led to one round where four of them attempted to save in the T corridoors only for all of them to be killed. With the score at 11:10 in their favour suddenly their headstart had disappeared.

PwR took two rounds, with one coming as a PwR player defused while kuben was still alive in the apartments area. AGAiN were not done though and they continued their overwhelming offense which saw the Finns struggling economically the whole time seemingly due to saves which failed before the round ended. By the score had gotten to 11:2 for the Poles, 15:13 to them overall, kuben was sitting on 29-3.

There was still some excitement left though as the Finnish boys won the 14th round thanks to a natu 1v2 victory in B. Their hopes now rested on winning the last round and so forcing overtime, something which was not to happen when the Poles overran A and ruuit and naSu could not retake it. 16:14 for Poland and heartbreak for a Finnish team which will think about that CT half for a long time to come one has to imagine.

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