Falcons rally for stunning semifinal win at PGL Astana

Field Level Media|published: Sat 16th May, 03:07 2026

Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans hold lit signs for T1 after game 3 against DRX during the League of Legends World Championships at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Team Falcons completed an epic comeback for a 2-1 win over FURIA on Friday, sealing a semifinal berth at the PGL Astana event in Kazakhstan.

FURIA claimed the first map 13-9 on Mirage, but Team Falcons extended the match with a 22-20, triple-overtime victory on Nuke. On the decisive third map, Dust II, Team Falcons prevailed 19-17 in double overtime.

Up next for Team Falcons is a clash with magic, who downed 9z Team 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

The other semifinal will feature MOUZ, who swept Aurora Gaming 2-0, and Team Spirit, who ousted G2 Esports 2-0.

The $800,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event began with 16 teams battling in a Swiss System group stage for eight berths in the single-elimination playoffs.

All matches are best-of-three until the grand final on Sunday, which will be best-of-five. The championship side will receive $256,000.

On Friday, Russia's Maksim "kyousuke" Lukin was the star for Team Falcons, recording 85 kills and a plus-17 kill-death differential. Brazil's Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato notched 80 kills and a plus-13 K-D differential for FURIA.

magic began with a 13-9 win on Dust II before 9z Team claimed Mirage 13-2. magic eked out a 13-11 victory on Ancient to seal the series. Russia's Andrey "AW" Anisimov paced magic with 53 kills and a plus-15 K-D differential. Argentina's Ignacio "meyern" Meyer wound up with 49 kills and a plus-16 K-D differential for 9z Team.

MOUZ rolled past Aurora Gaming 13-11 on Dust II, 13-8 on Nuke. Israel's Dorian "xertioN" Berman posted 44 kills and a plus-16 K-D differential for MOUZ. Ali "Wicadia" Haydar Yalcin finished with 38 kills and a plus-5 K-D differential for all-Turkish Aurora Gaming.

Team Spirit stopped G2 Esports 13-6 on Dust II, 13-11 on Ancient. Dmitry "sh1ro" Sokolov propelled Team Spirit with 37 kills and a plus-19 K-D differential. Spain's Alvaro "SunPayus" Garcia amassed 39 kills and a plus-12 K-D differential for G2 Esports.

PGL Astana 2026 prize pool

1. $256,000

2. $120,000

3. $96,000

4. $56,000

5-8. $40,000 -- FURIA, 9z Team, Aurora Gaming, G2 Esports

9-11. $20,000 -- The MongolZ, Monte, Gentle Mates

12-14. $12,000 -- HEROIC, PARIVISION, The Huns Esports

15-16. $8,000 -- K27, Fisher College

--Field Level Media

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