Liquid rebounded impressively after losing their map choice.
Liquid faced a tough challenge from FURIA in their first match of ESL Pro League Season 19 and have progressed in the upper bracket of Group C. Their next match against Monte will determine their spot in the playoffs.
This match carried some revenge for Liquid as FURIA had previously defeated them in a BO1 at the PGL Major Americas RMR, which led to Liquid's elimination from the tournament. However, this time, FURIA played with academy member Kayke "kye" Bertolucci, who struggled to perform despite a few decent rounds.
Liquid had shown promise at IEM Chengdu, and fans were eager to see if they could maintain that level of performance in the Pro League. However, there have been ongoing doubts about Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis and Felipe "skullz" Medeiros's consistency for a team expected to compete for championships.
While skullz has been working to prove himself worthy of his reported $600,000 buyout, YEKINDAR has faced challenges. As Liquid's primary aggressive player, YEKINDAR's struggles are particularly noticeable when his plays don't work out, impacting the team's performance.
Regarding Liquid's performance, Casper "cadiaN" Møller stated on the broadcast after the game, "I think we're like 50%, honestly. There's plenty of room for improvement for understanding, for more teamplay, for better team culture...At least right now we're not horrible, but I still think there's room to go."
Liquid's match started on Inferno, their map pick, but they struggled against FURIA's strong performances. Despite some individual clutch plays by NAF, Liquid couldn't secure the win, losing 13-9.
On Mirage, Liquid faced a tough start but managed to recover and secure the win, thanks to standout performances from NAF, Twistzz, and YEKINDAR. The series went to a decider on Nuke, where Liquid showed resilience and closed out the game with a strong performance, particularly from YEKINDAR.