NAVI in-game leader Denis ‘electroNic’ Sharipov has explained why he wasn’t able to react in time in the crucial 28th Nuke round against FaZe in the IEM Cologne grand final.
With the scoreline tied 14-14 on Nuke, viewers took notice of a crucial play by Russel ‘Twistzz’ Van Dulken that set FaZe up for victory on the fifth map of the grand final.
The Canadian player dropped from silo and killed an unsuspecting electroNic before taking down Viktor ‘sdy’ Orudzhev on main. That play gave FaZe full control of the A site and left NAVI strapped for cash heading into the final round of regulation.
After the game, electroNic spoke with Russian YouTuber Evgeniy Rise and admitted that he completely missed the sound cue from Twistzz’s drop.
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“There was a lot of noise, I didn’t hear that sound in my headphones at all,” said the Russian player, quoted by Escore News, playing down the fact that the drop may have been muffled by a flashbang. “I think it’s a coincidence, to be honest.”
FaZe went on to win the 30th round of the map to hammer the final nail into NAVI’s coffin in this marathon of a series, which had a peak viewership of almost 1.25 million, making it the most-watched non-Major match in CS:GO history.
With this victory, the PGL Major Antwerp champions are now one tournament victory away from winning Intel Grand Slam Season 4. FaZe’s first opportunity to claim the $1 million prize will be at ESL Pro League Season 16, which will run between August 31 and October 2.