VP.Prodigy seal playoff spot in ESL One Birmingham EU/CIS

VP.Prodigy remained undefeated and clinched a playoff berth by sweeping Winstrike Team 2-0 on Friday in Group B action in the ESL One Birmingham Online's Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States division. VP.Prodigy improved to 5-0 while Winstrike Team dropped to 0-5.

In other Group B matches Friday, Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated HellRaisers 2-0, Cyber Legacy edged OG 2-1, and Alliance came from behind to beat FlyToMoon 2-1. In Group A, Team Nigma moved to 5-0 with a 2-1 win over Vikin.gg. Natus Vincere rallied past Gambit Esports 2-1, Team Liquid downed Team Unique 2-0, and Team Secret cruised past Family Team 2-0.

ESL One Birmingham, a $300,000 Dota 2 major, had been scheduled for this week in Birmingham, England, before plans were changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament was separated into four online regional competitions: Europe/Commonwealth of Independent States, North America/South America, China and Southeast Asia. The $40,000, six-team Southeast Asia event began last week and runs through Sunday. The other three divisions -- Europe/CIS (16 teams, $200,000), the Americas (six teams, $40,000) and China (eight teams, $55,000) -- will conclude June 7.

The Europe/CIS event features two eight-team groups for round-robin play in best-of-three matches. The top two teams in each group advance to the upper bracket of the double-elimination playoffs, and the third- and fourth-place teams earn spots in the lower bracket. The bottom four teams in each group are eliminated. The playoffs are set to start Tuesday. All playoff matches will be best-of-three until the best-of-five final.

On Friday, VP.Prodigy needed less than an hour to complete its two-game rout of Winstrike while NiP downed HellRaisers in a total of just 65 minutes. Cyber Legacy jumped in front with a 45-minute win before OG pulled even with a 32-minute victory. Cyber Legacy claimed the decisive third game in 38 minutes.

FlyToMoon opened with a 37-minute triumph, but Alliance rallied for 39- and 32-minute victories. Nigma sandwiched 29- and 30-minute wins over Vikin.gg's 50-minute victory. Gambit worked 58 minutes to gain an edge on Natus Vincere, but Na'Vi came back to claimed the next two games in a total of 55 minutes.

Liquid put away Unique with 45- and 27-minute decisions while Secret disposed of Family Team in a combined 46 minutes. Seven matches are scheduled for Saturday:

--Team Secret vs. Natus Vincere --Team Liquid vs. Team Nigma

--Vikin.gg vs. Team Unique --Gambit Esports vs. Family Team

--OG vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas --VP.Prodigy vs. Alliance

--FlyToMoon vs. Winstrike Team ESL One Birmingham 2020 - Online: Europe and CIS standings (map W-L in parentheses)

Group A 1. Team Nigma, 5-0 (10-3)

2. Team Secret, 4-1 (8-2) T3. Vikin.gg, 3-2 (7-4)

T3. Team Liquid, 3-2 (6-4) T3. Natus Vincere, 3-2 (6-6)

T6. Family Team (formerly Aggressive Mode), 1-4 (4-8) T6. Team Unique, 1-4 (2-8)

8. Gambit Esports, 0-5 (2-10) Group B

1. VP.Prodigy, 5-0 (10-2) 2. Cyber Legacy, 4-2 (10-8)

T3. Ninjas in Pyjamas, 3-2 (8-5) T3. Alliance, 3-2 (8-5)

5. HellRaisers, 3-3 (6-8) 6. FlyToMoon, 2-3 (6-8)

7. OG, 1-4 (5-9) 8. Winstrike Team, 0-5 (2-10)

--Field Level Media

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