FURIA started their season with a 2-1 win over Eternal Fire at ESL Pro League, taking Nuke 16-11, dropping Vertigo 17-19, and then crusading to a 16-5 win on Inferno. The Brazilians might very nicely have been wishing for a more influential victory over a team they outrank by 12 places, as even the first half of Inferno could have been nearer than the 10-5 score line they locked. The incredible show of Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato will, however, be effective given his frail form towards the end of last season.
As for Eternal Fire, they will be grieving their tragic CT sides in their map defeats, managing only three rounds on the recommended side of Nuke and no rounds on their Inferno defense. It was also the judgment of the analysts that a victory here was required for the Turkish team to have practical chances of playoff qualification.