Vitality, Heretics stay alive at Road to Rio - Europe

Team Vitality and Team Heretics each swept their lower-bracket matches on Tuesday to stay alive as the playoffs got underway at the ESL One: Road to Rio - Europe event. Vitality dispatched GODSENT, and Heretics handled North, each by a 2-0 margin in the first round of lower-bracket action. Both winners will next play on Thursday against the losers of the upper-bracket opening round.

The ESL One: Rio Major, a $2 million Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event, was originally scheduled to be held May 11-24 in Rio de Janeiro, but it was pushed back to Nov. 9-22 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The regional qualifying events for North America, South America, Oceania and Asia have concluded. Play in the Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States regions runs through Sunday.

The teams are competing for a total of $255,000 in the online tournaments, as well as for Regional Major Ranking points to be applied toward berths at the ESL One: Rio Major. The European event began with 16 teams divided into two groups for round-robin play consisting of best-of-three matches. The top two finishers from each group advanced to the upper bracket of a double-elimination playoff, with the third- and fourth-place finishers advancing to the lower bracket.

All playoff matches are best-of-three prior to the grand final. The title match will be best-of-five, with the team emerging from the upper bracket starting with a one-map advantage. The European champion will receive 500 Pro Tour points and 1,600 Regional Major Rankings points, plus $33,000 of the $115,000 prize pool. The runner-up will get 350 Pro Tour points, 1,500 RMR points and $21,500.

Vitality held off a late charge on the opening map against GODSENT, taking Dust II 16-14, then dominated the second half of Inferno 8-0 to win the map 16-7 and clinch the match. Heretics won two tight maps over North, prevailing 16-14 on Inferno and 16-13 on Vertigo.

Vitality will face the loser of Wednesday's match between Ninjas in Pyjamas (6-1 in group play) and undefeated FaZe Clan, while Heretics await the loser of Astralis (6-1) vs. G2 Esports (4-3), which will be played later Wednesday. Also on Tuesday, ENCE swept Copenhagen Flames -- 22-20 in double overtime on Inferno and 16-5 on Train -- to win the ninth-place match, and Movistar Riders swept Fnatic (22-20 in double overtime on Train and 16-2 on Inferno) in the 11th-place match.

GODSENT and North will battle on Saturday in the seventh-place match. ESL One: Road to Rio - Europe prize pool, with prize money and Regional Major Ranking points:

1. $33,000, 1,600 points 2. $21,500, 1,500 points

3. $14,000, 1,400 points 4. $10,000, 1,300 points

5. $7,500, 1,200 points 6. $6,500, 1,100 points

7. $6,000, 1,000 points 8. $5,000, 900 points

9. $3,250, 800 points -- ENCE 10. $2,500, 700 points -- Copenhagen Flames

11. $2,250, 600 points -- Movistar Riders 12. $1,500, 500 points -- Fnatic

13-14. $1,000, 350 points -- Complexity Gaming, mousesports 15-16. no prize money, 150 points -- c0ntact Gaming, Dignitas