Esports World Cup: Aurora, Falcons round out CS:GO semifinals

Aurora Gaming and Team Falcons moved on to the semifinals of the Counter-Strike event at the Esports World Cup with their respective wins Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Aurora swept HEROIC 2-0 in their match, while Falcons outlasted MOUZ 2-1. Aurora and Falcons are set for a semifinal showdown Saturday, while Team Vitality and The MongolZ will meet in the other semifinal match.

The winners Saturday advance to the championship match where the victorious team will receive $500,000 and 1,000 Esports World Cup club points. The runner-up will get $230,000 and 750 EWC club points.

On Friday, Aurora scored a 13-7 win on Mirage before finishing HEROIC off with a 13-11 result on Dust II. The all-Turkish Aurora squad was led by Ismailcan "XANTARES" Dortkardes (42 kills) and Ozgur "woxic" Eker (37 kills); both had plus-13 kills-to-deaths differentials.

Falcons opened with a 13-9 win on Ancient, but MOUZ countered 13-8 on Inferno. The final map was Nuke, and Falcons pulled out a 13-10 victory to survive and advance. They had four players tally at least 46 kills in the match, including Bosnia and Herzegovina star Nikola "NiKo" Kovac (49 kills, plus-6) and Russia's Maxim "kyousuke" Lukin (49, plus-3).

The tournament continues Saturday with the two semifinal matches:

--Team Vitality vs. The MongolZ

--Team Falcons vs. Aurora Gaming

Prize pool for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with money winnings and Esports World Cup club points

1. $500,000, 1,000 points

2. $230,000, 750 points

3. $130,000, 500 points

4. $70,000, 300 points

5-8. $40,000, 200 points -- TYLOO, 3DMAX, HEROIC, MOUZ

9-16. $20,000, no points -- Team Liquid, Astralia, Natus Vincere, GamerLegion, FaZe Clan, Team Spirit, Virtus.pro, G2 Esports

--Field Level Media