The theme in this week's matches is national success and trouble internationally. The Talent- and Women's squad won all their matches in POWER Ligaen, but both struggled in various international tournaments.
The ninth week of 2024 began with the Open Qualifier for ESL Challenger Melbourne 2024, which the Talents participated in. Unfortunately, no tickets to Australia were booked as the Danes fell short.
Match 1: 13-2 vs. jamajkateam (Ancient)
Match 2: 16-13 vs. Frb Falcons (Nuke)
Match 3: 11-13 vs. ILIN (Ancient)
Continuing their run in United21 Season 12, they faced PGE Turów in a best-of-three in Group A, which was a tense battle - decided on the third map, Anubis. The Polish opponents drew the longest straw and advanced to the playoffs.
Result: 1-2 vs. PGE Turow (10-13 on Ancient, 16-12 on Inferno, and 9-13 on Anubis
Andreas "kiR" Kirstein & Co. will face the Swedish team, Johnny Speeds, consisting of players like Jonas "Lekr0" Olufsson and William "draken" Sundin, on Saturday for a spot in the playoffs.
On Wednesday, February 28, two matches in the Danish POWER Ligaen were in sight, facing Copenhagen Wolves and Sashi Esport, resulting in two victories and a current first-place spot in the league.
Swinging back and forth, the first half on Overpass against Copenhagen Wolves ended in a 6-6 tie. The Talents then showed how potent their teamwork is on the T-side, as they shook the Wolves off and won the match 13-8.
The scoreboard reflects the team performance as four players have between 16 and 18 frags, with Jason "JBOEN" Boe Nielsen on top with a 1.41 rating.
Result: 13-8 vs. Copenhagen Wolves (Overpass)
Facing former Astralis player Johannes "b0RUP" Borup and his squad on Ancient became a success for the Talents. Once again, it was a collaborative effort between four players on the team, sitting among 14-16 frags in a dominant 13-6 victory.
Result: 13-6 vs. Sashi Esport (Ancient)
Highlights
Two victories in POWER Ligaen shot the Talents up at the top spot with seven of nine matches won and 21 points.
Like the Talent squad, Aurora "aurora" & her troops also had official matches three days in a row with mixed results.
Monday - the worst day of the week, lived up to its name after the Women's squad suffered two defeats in ESEA Open Season 48.
It was a relatively close affair against Roger Roger, where Anja "anja" Soelberg gave her all, reaching a 19-16 K/D, but fell short in the end. eSpuma had the upper hand in the day's second match, resulting in a 1-13 defeat.
Result: 9-13 vs. Roger Roger (Overpass)
Result: 1-13 vs. eSpuma (Overpass)
Tuesday, February 27, a single task was ahead - a victory against XI Female GamerPay. For the third time this week, Overpass was the chosen battleground, but this time, it ended in a 13-2 win for the Women's squad.
Result: 13-2 vs. XI Female GamerPay (Overpass)
Isabella "Ismo" Ferslev was remarkable versus XI Female GamerPay, as she put up a 2.00 rating and a 20-8 K/D.
The final day of officials in week nine ends with two POWER Liga matches against Egedal Esports and Syntox Academy.
It was a rather close match in the first fixture versus Egedal Esports, which the Women's team won 13-9 on Vertigo. A similar rematch was on the cards as the match was played on Vertigo again. Leading the pack in a 13-4 victory was Josefine "josefine" Jensen and aurora, who reached 17 frags each and had a 0.01 rating difference. The former hit a 1.46 rating, while the latter acquired a 1.45 rating.
Result: 13-4 vs. Egedal Esports (Vertigo)
Highlights
Syntox Academy, who's right behind the Women in the league at second place, awaited in the next matchup. The enemies got the best start on Anubis, but after a close first half, the Astralis T-side prevailed and secured a crucial 13-8 win. The captain continued her form from Vertigo and topped the scoreboard for the Women's squad with 18 frags and four entry frags.
Result: 13-8 vs. Syntox Academy (Anubis)
The Women's team is currently #1 in the 4th Division of POWER Ligaen, and by remaining undefeated, they've secured advancement to the 3rd Division in the upcoming season.
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