Ninjas in Pyjamas Defeat SK Gaming in Hard-Fought Victory at IEM Oakland
Ninjas in Pyjamas emerged as the winners in a tough battle against double Major champions SK Gaming at IEM Oakland.
NiP Makes Dramatic Comeback for Series Victory
The legendary Swedish team had to recover from an initial map loss to secure a surprising 2-1 series victory against SK Gaming.
SK Gaming Dominates Early on Train
SK Gaming showed dominant performance on the first map, Train, with an 11-4 lead in the first half as terrorists, and eventually closed out the game 16-4 after winning five consecutive rounds on the CT side.
NiP Triumphs on Cache Despite SK Gaming’s Comeback
On the second map, Cache, NiP took a commanding 10-5 lead in the first half. Although SK Gaming made an incredible comeback, tying the score at 13-13, NiP stayed composed and secured a 16-14 victory, disrupting SK Gaming’s economy at a crucial moment.
NiP Seals the Victory on Cobblestone
NiP carried their momentum from the second map onto the third map, Cobblestone, with yet another 10-5 lead in the first half. Despite SK Gaming’s attempt to catch up and reduce the gap to just two rounds, NiP secured a second consecutive 16-14 win and claimed the title.
Semifinal Upsets
In the earlier matches, Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated FaZe Clan, while SK Gaming took down Astralis. Despite FaZe Clan and Astralis winning their respective groups and receiving semifinal byes, both teams were unable to advance to the finals.
NiP’s Successful Year
This victory at IEM Oakland adds to NiP’s list of achievements in 2016, which includes winning DreamHack Malmö and Starladder earlier in the year.