Upset in VALORANT Champions 2023
The group stage of VALORANT Champions 2023 has witnessed some surprising results, and the third day started with a major upset that shook a team stacked with trophy winners.
NRG Esports had a rough start in their opening match against Bilibili Gaming. Despite their experience and decorated roster, they made several mistakes against the Chinese team, who were competing in their first international competition. On the map Lotus, NRG had a 9-5 lead but ended up losing in overtime. On their chosen map Split, they were completely outplayed in the first half and couldn’t stage a comeback.
During the post-match press conference, coach Chet Singh admitted that he needed more time to analyze what went wrong. He mentioned the fumbled post-plants on Lotus and highlighted the importance of closing crucial rounds.
FNS, on the other hand, explained that despite having advantages in terms of kills, the team struggled to capitalize on them.
Ardiis acknowledged that Bilibili Gaming was the superior team on Split.
When asked about the uncharacteristic mistakes made by NRG, coach Chet couldn’t provide an immediate answer. He mentioned the need to review the VODs to understand what happened.
Related: VALORANT Champions 2023 scores, schedule, and format
NRG has a history of slow starts, but they have shown resilience in recovering from them. In the VCT Americas season, they started with a 1-3 record but then went on a five-match winning streak. In the VALORANT playoffs, they lost in the opening round to Evil Geniuses but managed to reach Masters through three consecutive lower bracket wins.
However, this is the first international VALORANT event of the year where NRG has faltered in their opening match. Now, they face a do-or-die situation against ZETA. If they survive, they will have to confront either Bilibili Gaming, who just defeated them, or the dominant Fnatic.
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