by FURIA emerged victorious in the 2023 Elisa Masters Espoo, securing a 3-1 triumph over Apeks in the best-of-five grand final.
The Brazilian team’s win marked the end of a trophy drought in international LANs that had persisted since September 2019 when they clinched the Arctic Invitational, which was also held in Finland.
Reflecting on the achievement, Andrei “?arT?” Piovezan drew attention to the contrast between the Brazilian heat and Finnish cold, stating, “Yeah, I think so. It’s been a while since we last won a tournament. Winning here is amazing.”
FURIA’s success has injected confidence into the team as they gear up for their final Counter-Strike event of the year, the upcoming BetBoom Dacha in Dubai, with arT expressing optimism about maintaining their momentum in future tournaments.
The best-of-five series commenced on Inferno, Apeks’ map choice, with the European side initially taking the lead.
However, FURIA seized control once their economy stabilized, concluding the first half at 8-4.
Apeks mounted a comeback, equalizing at 8-8, but FURIA, fueled by arT’s quad kill, ultimately secured the map.
Moving on to Ancient, Yuri “?yuurih?” Santos propelled FURIA to a 3-0 lead with a trio of frags in the pistol round.
Apeks tightened their defence, leading 8-4 at halftime, with Joakim “?jkaem?” Myrbostad boasting an impressive 132 ADR.
The second half mirrored the first, with Apeks dominating gun rounds, securing their victory on Ancient.
Vertigo saw Apeks surge to a 5-1 lead on the CT side, but FURIA rallied to narrow the gap.
Despite Tim “?nawwk?” Jonasson’s impactful quad kill with a Desert Eagle, FURIA took control in the second half, overcoming a 4×2 retake blunder and securing the map.
The Mirage map, previously successful for FURIA in Espoo, began with the Brazilian team establishing a 5-1 lead.
Apeks’ resilient defence led to a 6-6 tie before halftime. Playing on the T side, Apeks won three consecutive rounds, nearing double digits.
However, FURIA shifted the momentum with a pivotal round, embarking on a 7-0 run led by Marcelo ‘chelo’ Cespedes and Kaike ‘KSCERATO’ Cerato, ultimately clinching the map, and consequently, the trophy.
Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 champions
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— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) December 3, 2023
