Mary C

In the previous ten years, the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers have both competed for and won championships, but they have hardly ever both been successful at the same time. Between 2014-2015 and 2017-2018, LeBron James guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to four consecutive NBA Finals while they engaged in a fierce rivalry with the Golden State Warriors. Cleveland and James’ Los Angeles Lakers team were tied for the second-worst record in the League while Central Division opponents Milwaukee rose to prominence with the NBA’s best record during Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first MVP season. Since then, the Bucks have held sway over the division and are once again in front of the Eastern Conference with a 22-8 record through 30 games. However, the Cavaliers, who are 21-11 and have won four straight games before visiting the Bucks on Wednesday, are suddenly posing a challenge. Cleveland has gotten going again following a trade for Donovan Mitchell that they think will make them a significant participant in the East after they previously demonstrated significant progress by making it to the play-in tournament last year. That appears to be the case thus far as Mitchell leads the team in scoring with a career-high 29.3 points per game, enough for eighth place in the NBA, and has excelled in critical games against Boston Celtics. The Bucks, who will be eager to sweep their division opponents before Christmas, are 0-2 versus the Cavs this year compared to the Celtics, who are now in second place. In their hopes of defeating the Bucks, the Cavaliers will rely on Allen’s physicality. He has only played 12 minutes versus Milwaukee so far this season; he missed the first game and left the second one due to injury after scoring just one point. Allen was averaging 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds since asking a comeback from the hip ailment earlier this month, including 26 rebounds in his last two games.

The Brooklyn Nets have shown throughout their current six-game winning streak that they can prevail in close game. In the last two games, the Nets had sluggish beginnings before displaying excellent execution in the fourth quarter. When they visit the struggling State Warriors on Wednesday night, they are hoping to get off to a faster start. Brooklyn has won by an average margin of 5.2 points during their winning streak, with its highest margin coming in a 112-100 away victory over the Washington Wizards on December 12. The Nets are coming home off with back-to-back three-point victories in Toronto and Detroit that featured comebacks form a double-digit deficit and were capped by thrilling final minutes. With such tough opposition, the Brooklyn player Royce O’Neale stated, “I think we’ve got to increase our level of play.” We can’t get out of the way we’ve been playing occasionally with a lack of intensity”. The Nets face an 18-point setback late in the second quarter and were behind by 10 at halftime in Friday’s 119-116 victory over the Raptors. Kyrie Irving’s 3-pointer at buzzer gave Brooklyn the victory after they scored 70 percent in the fourth quarter. The Nets overcame a first-half deficit of 19 points to defeat the Pistons 124-121 the following night. Brooklyn outscored Detroit 70-50 in the second half while scoring almost 60 percent. Both comeback victories were achieved thanks to outstanding performance from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Durant scored 26 of his 43 points on Sunday in the third quarter before Irving added 14 of his 38 points in the fourth. On Friday, Irving was able to score 15 of his 32 points in the final period. The nets are 12-5 in games decided by single digits after overcoming their sluggish starts, including 7-2 record in games decided by five points or less. Coach Jacque Vaughn of Brooklyn stated that “There has to be an enhanced level of attention and preparation”. You don’t want to go into a game and dig yourself a hole like we had the last two games because you might not be digging your way out of those”. Golden State will play its fourth game on Friday after losing Stephen Curry last week in a 125-119 defeat to the Indiana Pacers due to a left shoulder subluxation. After splitting game with the Philadelphia and Toronto, the Warriors were defeated by the home New York Knicks on Tuesday, with scores of 132-94. The embarrassing loss lowered Golden State to a League worst 3-15 on the road. The Warriors suffered their sixth loss in the previous eight games. Golden State coach Steve Kerr stated after his team gave up at least 13-0 points for the fourth time, "We sank today. We will continue to fight and play another game in Wednesday." In the three games since Curry’s injury, Jordan Poole, who led the Warriors with 26 points, has average 32.7 points. Due to injury management, Klay Thompson will miss the second part of a back-to-back set, and Andrew Wiggins will miss his tenth straight game due to a groin ailment. Pool will likely be expected to be Golden State’s primary option.

Following only their third road victory of the season, the Golden State Warriors will go to New York to take on Knicks. Jordan Poole scored a career-high 43 points on Sunday night as the Warriors defeated the Toronto Raptors, 126-110, without Steph Curry, who is sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury. In only their second game in a row without Curry, who is still recovering from an injury, the Warriors managed to win the first time in five tries without him this season. With 17 points each, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green performed admirably. Green also grabbed nine rounds. Golden State’s three-game losing run was broken by the victory as they attempt to maintain the status quo without Curry. Kevon Looney understands the significance of this period without Curry after recording a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. When the team triumphed without Curry, Looney stated "it shows how good we can be. Winning is never going to be easy when you’re without one of the league’s top players. We need to get used to attempting to succeed without him since he will be gone for a while. When he returns, hopefully we’re in a good spot." Going into this game against the Warriors, the defending NBA champions, the New York Knicks are having their finest season. The Knicks have won seven straight games over this stretch, including four on the road. In Indianapolis on Sunday, New York came back to defeat the Pacers 109-106. As the game entered its last minute, the lead had been exchanged 19 times. The Knicks managed to win after Julius Randle converted two of his six free throws in the last seconds. Randle recorded a double-double by scoring 25 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. With 30 points, 11 of 22 shooting and three-point field goals in the victory, Jalen Brunson led the Knicks. For the hot Knicks, RH Barrett scored an individual 24 points. According to Randle, “To win on the road and like this, it was tough. It was a hard game, but we got it done”. Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks will have their match tomorrow, December 21, at 8:30 am PST.

Dragons vs Beermen The San Miguel beermen was able to keep their PBA Commissioner’s Cup title by defeating Bay Area, with a 98-96, in Game 3 of the semifinals on Sunday, December 18, held at the PhilSports Arena. For the first time in four attempts this conference, the Beermen won against the Dragons, cutting their lead in the best-of-the five series to 1-2. Simon Enciso made the game-winning three-pointer while Devon Scott came up with the win-sealing block. With a minute remaining, Bay area took a 96-93 lead on a Kobey Lam three-pointer before Scott got San Miguel within a point on a pair of free throws, 95-96, and Enciso sunk a triple to give the defending champions the lead. After seeing Scott block Lam’s potential game-tying layup with seven seconds left in Game 1, Lam was unable to repeat his game 1, game-winning basket. The Beermen then made another crucial defensive stop on Hayden Blankley to seal the victory and hand the Dragons their first postseason loss. Scott had underwhelming performances in the first two games of the series, scoring a combined total of just 23 points, but he made up for it in the triumph with 25 points, 14 rebound, and two blocks. Leo Austria, the head coach of San Miguel, remarked after his team’s first victory since he returned from a seven-game hiatus due to health and safety rules that prevented him from playing. Head coach, Lea Austria, also stated that “This is evidence that Bay Area is beatable”. With 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks for the Beermen, June Mar Fajardo also dominated on the glass while Simon Enciso, who went scoreless in the second game, recovered with 16 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds. San Miguel rallied from a 14-point hole in the first quarter with 17 points, 5 assist, 4 rebounds and 2 steals from CJ Perez. Despite contributions from their regular suspects, the Dragons’ seven-game winning streak was ended. Zhu Songwei contributed 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, and Andrew Nicholson had 34 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in the defeat.

Magnolia vs Ginebra The most lopsided game of this year’s best of five series, which Ginebra is currently leading with a 2-1, was set up by import Justin Brownlee, who oversaw a breakaway in the second quarter. Later, LA Tenorio joined Brownlee in the action as the two stalwarts of Ginebra joined forces to push the Kings one victory closer to the championship game. Paul Lee was only given a few minutes to play because he was feeling under the weather according to Magnolia. “Paul Lee’s injury knocked the wind out of their sails,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone who seemed sad for Lee, the hero of the Hotshots’ thrilling 96-95 in Game 2. Tenorio scored 20 points and went 4 of 6 from a 3-point range while Scottie Thompson, the current MVP, had 12 points for Ginebra and was the other player in double digits. When team Ginebra began to pull away, the Hotshots provided little fight. Jio Jalalon scored 16 points to lead the No. 2 seeded club while import Nick Rokosevic was restricted to 10 points and 12 rebounds.

G2 Esports had not won a map in a CS:GO finals in a total of 1092 days. One of the major pending accounts of the samurai inside the shooter was reaping success. If wearing the G2 shirt suggested some strain, each tournament that went by without a win added additional weight to the club’s shoulder. However, the organization has removed its unique weight by defeating Team Liquid 2-0 in the BLAST Premier: World Final. G2 Esports and Team Liquid have not seen each other during the duration of the competition despite being in the same group. Both teams advanced beyond the first round after defeating Rio de Janeiro, a major champion outsiders. With no finalist from the previous Major, both teams advanced through the quarterfinals to compete for the crown. The samurai eliminated Team Vitality and FaZe Clan while the North Americans eliminated NAVI. Whatever the outcome will be, both teams would create history if they won the BLAST Premier World Final. The two teams needed to break their own jinx, but when it came down to it, G2 Esports won far more easily on the server. The samurai kicked off the final with their infamous Inferno, in which they were unpredictable from the terrorist side. G2 scored 4-11 in the first half and 7-16 in the second half to take the lead. Team Liquid picked a second map that was much more evenly distributed. G2 Esports almost increased by playing Inferno against a revitalized “NAF” Keith Markovic. When Team Liquid had a greater economy than G2, it held up better, but the samurai’s individualities resolved the stalemate situations. By capturing a title, months after missing the Rio de Janeiro Major, the samurai has averted an even more dire predicament. If he had not succeeded, suspicions regarding the successors for Audric Jug “JACKZ” and Aleksi Virolainen “Aleksib” may have jeopardized the project’s continuation. Ramus Nielsen’s “”HooXi” trip in G2 may alter in the future. The fact that he had led the squad back to trophies, even with the frags on top of his “bad name”, is not taken away from anybody. In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, both Kovacs realized one of their dreams, winning a tournament together. JKS, who has gained his second title of the year, understood this emotion better. MONESY, on the other hand, was fully ignorant of it, but he has already seen how amusing it can be in the face of his bright profession.

FIFA World Cup Final After defeating France in Doha on penalties, Argentina won the World Cup for a record-tying third time. Lionel Messi scored twice to secure football’s most coveted title, reinforcing his legendary position. Lionel Messi raised the World Cup in Qatar, 36 years after Diego Maradona had done it in Mexico. Argentina won the tournament once more, and Messi cemented his position as the greatest player of all time by winning the greatest World Cup Final. La Albiceleste needed penalties to upset Kylian Mbappe and a France team that would not surrender defeat after leading with ten minutes to go in normal tie and 3-2 with two minutes to go in extra time. Just as he had started the scoring from the penalty spot in regular time, Messi scored first for Argentina in the shootout, setting up one of the goals of the competition. A daring counterattack planned deep in their own half around Messi, whose stunning flip to Julian Alvarez. Angel di Maria found the bottom corner after Alexis Mac Allister's cross. Even at 34, Di Maria is still a contender for the grandest stage. The hordes of Argentine fans sang "We want to win it for the third time” with more fervor than ever after the astonishing counterattack goal. Since their watershed night in Paris 24 years ago, the French have climbed the heights in the World Cup and European Championships, but they were disoriented and puzzled by Argentina at the Lusali Iconic Stadium. Although Les Bleus were on the verge of being dethroned, they still had Mbappe and head coach Didier Deschamps, who responded by making two substitutions before the half. Deschamps rested Ousmane Dembele and ineffectual Oliver Giroud to make room for Bundesliga duo Marcus Thuram, whose father Lilian won the World Cup in 1998, and Randa Kolo Muani, who failed to up to the occasion in Russia four years ago. Both had a part in laying the groundwork for a late comeback, but Mbappe was the one who pulled it off, first from the penalty spot with ten minutes left in regulation and then less than two minutes later on the volley, turning the tide of the match and giving France new hope. Extra time ensued, and penalties loomed, but neither team was finished. Messi took back control of the narrative, practically driving the ball across the line to make it 3-2 and confirm his shift from footballing demigod to fully-fledged Argentine divinity as if personally insulated by Mbappe’s impudence in the manner an ancient monarch might respond to a royal upstart. However, this incredible game of football had yet another twist when Mbappe, Messi’s colleague at Paris Saint-Germain, scored his third goal from penalty spot to become only the second player to complete a hat trick in a World Cup Final after England’s Geoff Hurst in 1996. As a result, the game was decided on penalties, with Argentina winning 4-2 in the shootout. Thirty-six years of anguish were erased in a famous advertisement for the beautiful game. Spare a moment for Mbappe, who scored three goals in the World Cup Final yet lost. He scored 12 World Cup goals in two championships, including four in two finals because to his will almost certainly be broken by this exceptional talent from the Paris suburbs, who will depart Qatar as the tournament’s leading scorer.

FaZe Clan vs G2 FaZe Clan and G2 have announced a new date for the BLAST Premier Global Finals 2022. They had previously met each other in the opening rounds of Group A when Faze Clan faced a 2-0 deficit before grinding out a 2-1 victory. FaZe Clan have been a thorn in G2’s side, and this is a good opportunity for the enraged Europeans to avenge their humiliation. The stakes couldn’t be greater here in Abu Dhabi for the BLAST Premier World Finals semifinals. As previously said, G2 did not have a particularly great year in 2022. Apart from their Grand Final performance in Katowice, and with Aleksib in the headlines for his departure to G2, they haven’t accomplished much, with losing out on the Rio Major being the darkest of scars. In this case, they appear to have employed a new scriptwriter. Outsiders, the winner of the Rio Major, were nearly destroyed by FaZe Clan, the winners of the Antwerp Major, and ZywOo’s last-ditch attempt to establish himself as the number one player in the world was thwarted. Within the next 24 hours, G2 will have had another shot at making the international squad, with Niko going head-to-head with his previous side once more. But this time, it’s not a group stage encounter. Things are beyond repair, thanks to some Rio-loving Russians. This is the Global Final Semifinal. G2 will have no second opportunity on one of the largest platforms. It’s either now or never. FaZe Clan defeated G2 numerous times in 2022, and there is no better way to revenge all the pain, particularly in Katowice, than to knock them out here in Abu Dhabi. FaZe Clan and its early 2022 successes are well-known. They became the first CS:GO in history to win all three events: Katowice, Cologne and the Major. However, in the months after the memorable Cologne Grand Final vs NAVI, FaZe Clan has undoubtedly fallen behind. Worst of all, they were defeated 0-3, in the Legends’ Stage of the Rio Major. However, they appear to have recovered in the Global Finals. They’re back on track and no longer rely on individual heroics to get them there. They've cleaned their glasses, and they can see that a famous trophy only NAVI and Astralis have ever won awaits them. With the Ukrainians gone and the disperse Danes Joining NAVI at the airport, a new champion is in sight. FaZe Clan has everything they need to become the next champion. For the time being, all that stands in their way is a team they’ve previously vanquished, though scrappily, just a few days ago. OG vs Team Liquid We’ve witnessed a lot of shocks in BLAST Premier World Final, notably from team Liquid. In their first match, Liquid stunned Outsiders by defeating them on Anubis and Mirage. After defeating Jame and company, Liquid had a difficult task when it came to defeating FaZe Clan. After thrilling battle on Mirage, Liquid edged out FaZe to take a 1-0 lead. That didn’t assist them much because they were heavily trounced on Anubis and didn’t accomplish much on Inferno. The NA-based roster’s strong performances continue against NAVI as they won 2-1. It's worth noting that they looked fantastic on Mirage and Overpass whereas their performance on the CT side of Ancient was abysmal. OG are currently looking much better than before. Victories against Team Vitality and Heroic secured them a ticket in the semifinals, and it will be intriguing to watch if their incredible run continues. By far the greatest chances for this match can be found at GG.bet Esports. We feel Liquid had tougher opposition and that the map pool favored them far more. In this one, Team Liquid has a broad choice of maps that they can play at, and due to this, they have a high possibility that they can come out on top in this competition.

Croatia vs Morocco Croatia and Morocco are set to get the bronze medal in Saturday’s third-place play off, held at the Khalifa International Stadium, and neither team should turn down a podium finish of the biggest stage. Argentina easily defeated Zlakto Dalic’s team with a 3-0 in their semifinal game while the Atlas Lion courageously fought against France but were defeated by two goals to zero. Only a few attackers faced the masked warrior that is Josko Gvardiol and beaten the RB Leipzig youth, but even one of Europe’s most in-demand defenders was no match for a 35-year-old Lionel Messi. Prior to his humiliation of a guy, 15 years his junior, Messi scored from the penalty spot in Argentina’s semifinal against Croatia before Julian Alvarez’s solo run delivered La Albiceleste their second although with some slices of luck after a few ricochets. Argentina’s third was everything, but fortunate as Messi rolled back the years on the right before finding up Alvarez to tap home Argentina’s third and deny Croatia a second berth in a World Cup Final – against 2018 opponents France, no less. Dalic’s team made the 2018 World Cup final and the 2022 semifinals without winning a knockout game in regular time, and they are no strangers to bronze medal contests, having defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the 1998 third-place playoff during their debut World Cup campaign. Croatia will not be relied to learn that the third-place playoff has near been decided on spot kinks, and the unfettered Morocco supporters will most certainly continue to bash their drums for one last ride. Morocco, the first African nation to reach a World Cup semifinal, might have become the continent’s first side to make it all the way to the final had it not been for the lack of killing instinct in the final third. Walid Regragui’s team gave France a worry during the semifinal match on Wednesday, but the Atlas Lions’ hopes of winning the tournament for Qatar were dashed by Theo Hernandez’s daring goal and Randal Kolo Muani’s tap in 44 seconds after entering the field. The early retirement of injured trio Noussair Mazraoui, Romain Saiss , and Nayef Aguerd did not assist the Africans’ efforts, but once Morocco’s current crop will return to their hometown, they will be considered as national heroes and might possibly be wearing bronze medals around their necks on the way back. Regragui’s team had not surrendered to an opponent player in Qatar until to Hernandez’s breach with only five minutes on the clock on Wednesday, but they may still become the first country since Spain’s successful team of 2010 to maintain as many as five clean sheets in a single World Cup. Just a few weeks after their goalless stalemate in Group F, where the checkered ones were limited to just five shots against Regragui’s backline, Croatia and Morocco will resume defensive performance. They may win a historic World Cup trophy.

Group A FaZe With a total of 17,600 points on the BLAST Premier World leaderboard, FaZe is one of the clear favorites among the eight teams competing in this year’s World Final. At the same time, fans are expecting great gameplay from them this month. The American squad has risen to the top of the CS:GO world rankings because of a stellar performance in 2022, which included a number of event victories. FaZe Clan won several competitions including the Intel Extreme Masters XVI in Katowice, the ESL Pro Leage Season 15, the PGL Major Antwerp 2022, and the Intel Extreme Masters XVII all in 2022. It's an outstanding track record but not without its flaws. Back in November, the squad performed poorly at the Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major. They were eliminated in the group stage after a 1-2 loss to Bad News Eagles, placing them in the 15-16th position despite having high hopes going into the Major. The team’s performance was sad, setting the record for the worst defending champion run in history with 0-3 record. Faze Clan, on the other hand, appears to be on the rise. They came into the BLAST Premier Fall Finals strong, advancing to the semifinals with back-to-back Group stage triumphs over OG and Heroic, before cementing their position in the grand final with a 2-1 victory against Ninjas in Pyjamas. That incredible run, however was cut short in the grand final by Heroic, who were named Fall finals champions with a 2-1 victory over the American squad. Still, it’s a promising return to form that they’ll be aiming to maintain when they travel to Abu Dhabi later this month. All eyes will be on FaZe clan roster, which includes: Coach Robert "RobbaN" Dahlström Håvard "rain" Nygaard Helvijs "broky" Saukants Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken Finn "karrigan" Andersen Robin "ropz" Kool Their first opponent at World Final will be G2, on December 14 at 5 PM PHT. G2 ESPORTS G2 is one of the three teams this year that has qualified for the World Final based on their standing on the BLAST Premier World Leaderboard where they are currently ranked fifth with 6625 points. Their entrance to the World Final comes after a varied year with of high and lows but no event wins in 2022. They came in February, reaching the grand finals of the Intel Extreme Masters XVI in Katowice where they were defeated 0-3 by FaZe Clan. Despite falling short in the grand finale, the team brought on a tremendous performance that was arguably their best of the year. They've performed well in other S-Tier competitions in more recent months as well, placing 3rd-4th in the ESL Pro Leage Season 16 in October and 3rd-4th at the BLAST Premier: Spring Finals back in June. They were eliminated from both events by Team Vitality, who is also competing in this year’s World Final. However, because the two teams are in different groups in Abu Dhabi, they will both have to get through the Group Stage before a rematch can take place. However, the club has suffered just as many setbacks this season. We last saw them at the BLAST Premier: Fall Finals in November, when they finished 5th-6th after a 1-2 loss to Heroic. G2 has had a considerably bigger failures this year. Their worst setback at an S-Tier tournament occurred in March when they finished 17th-20th in the ESL Pro League Season 15 after being eliminated in the group stage. Following a 1-2 loss against FURIA Esports, they finished 9th-11th at the PGL Major in Antwerp. As G2 is attending the BLAST Premier World Final for the second year in a row, having 5th-6th in last year’s competition before being knocked out in a 1-2 setback by Natus Vincere (NAVI), we’ll have to wait and see whether they can improve on last year's performance and possibly even win their first event this year as the 2022 season winds down. The G2 roster includes: Coach Jan "Swani" Müller. Nemanja "huNter-" Kovač Nikola "NiKo" Kovač Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov Justin "jks" Savage Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen G2 will be having their first match in this competition against the FaZe Clan on December 14 at 5 PM PHT. Outsiders The Outsiders is a new tag introduced early this year by Virtus.pro. Following the conflict in Ukraine, both the ESL and the PGL declared that any organization with ties to the Russian Government would be blacklisted. Given Virtus.pro’s individual ties to corporations and individuals currently sanctioned by American and European governments, the Outsiders tag was created so that the roster could operate under a more unbiased brand. However, the new tag has had little effect on the team’s recent performance. In November, the Russian team was crowned IEM Rio Major Championships after defeating Heroic in the grand final with a 2-0 victory. Outsiders qualified for the World Final thanks to that victory. They were placed at the lowest ranked team in the World Final, sitting on 11th place on the BLAST Premier Leaderboard with 4562.5 points. To be honest, the need to rebrand as Outsiders in March is likely to have influenced their position. The team also got off to a bad start in 2022. They were eliminated at the Group Stage of ESL Pro League Season 15 in March, finishing 17th-20th. Following that, they finished 12th-14th at the PGL Major in Antwerp, losing 2-1 to G2. But that’s no reason to dismiss them. Outsiders has progressively gained momentum this year, winning the A-tier event ESL challenger at Dreamhack Rotterdam in October, just before being named winners at the IEM Major in Rio. Outsiders will be represented in Abu Dhabi by: Coach Dastan "dastan" Aqbaev Aleksei "Qikert" Golubev Dzhami "Jame" Ali Evgeniy "FL1T" Lebedev David "n0rb3r7" Daniyelyan Pyotr "fame" Bolyshev Outsiders' first opponent for the World Final will be Team Liquid on December 14 at 2 PM PHT. It should be an interesting encounter, with Team Liquid’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gainskis facing his former Virtus.pro colleagues for the first time since leaving the team in October. Team Liquid Team Liquid is ranked seventh on the BLAST Premier Leaderboard, ahead of just October in 11th position. The squad has held a difficult year, with no tournament victories to brag about and will face stiff competition if they are to be named champions at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi this month. While not as bad as FaZe Clan’s performance, Team Liquid’s performance at the Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major in November placed them in 9th-11th position following a 2-1 defeat to Team Spirit. This is only one of several low-ranking performances in Majors this year, including finishing 5th-6th at the Intel Extreme Masters VII in Cologne, 7th-8th at the Intel Extreme Masters XVII in Dallas, and 15th-16th at the PGL Major in Antwerp in May. But it doesn’t mean they should be written off. Team Liquid advanced to the ESL Pro League Season 16 grand finale where they were beaten by Team Vitality in a close-fought encounter, with a final score of 2-3 to Team Vitality. They also performed well at the BLAST Premier Fall Finals where they advanced to the semifinals with back-to-back victory over G2 and NAVI, demonstrating their potential to surprise higher-ranked teams. While they were ultimately defeated 1-2 by Heroic, it is a positive indicator for the team’s performance moving into the World Final. The team qualified for this year’s World Final by finishing first on the BLAST Premier Leaderboard, one of the three teams to do so, along with OG and G2. Team liquids roster for this year’s BLAST Premier World Final consists of: Coach Damian "daps" Steele Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski Keith "NAF" Markovic Joshua "oSee" Ohm Nicholas "nitr0" Cannella Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis The Squad will make their debut in this year’s BLAST Premier World Final on December 14 at 2 PM PHT, facing against their first opponent for the competition Outsiders. Group B Natus Vincere Natus Vincere (NAVI) is on their way to Abu Dhabi for the BLAST Premier World Final, and all eyes are on the Ukrainian squad to see whether they can maintain their good track record at past World Finals. Coming into this month’s competition, NAVI is one of the highest-ranked teams, sitting in second place on the BLAST Premier Leaderboard, just behind FaZe Clan. The Ukrainian squad holds the distinction of having won every World Final in BLAST Premier history, having been declared winners in both 2020 and 2021. They had an undoubtedly dismal performance during the Fall Finals last month, finishing in 5th-6th place after losing to Ninjas in Pyjamas in semifinals. Nonetheless, they should not be underestimated. Navi qualified for this year’s World Final by winning the BLAST Premier: Spring Finals in June when they defeated Team Vitality in the grand finals. That's not all NAVI has to brag about this year. They also managed to advance to the grand finals of the PGL Major in Antwerp in Jund where they finished second after failing to FaZa clan. Later that year, they took second place again after losing to FaZe Clan in the Grand Final of the Intel Extreme XVII in Cologne. They will be the ones to keep an eye for this match, not just because of their good track record at BLAST World Finals, but also because they’ll be experimenting with a six-man lineup for the event. They’ve attempted it previously, at the online-only 2020 BLAST Premier Fall Finals, but this will be the first time they’ve fielded a six-man lineup at a LAN tournament. Navi’s sixth man player in Abu Dhabi will be academy player Andrii “npl” Kukharskyi, who will be looking to establish his worth to the squad despite rumors that Viktor ”sdy” Orudzhev may be on his way out as HLTV reports. The Ukrainian squad’s lineup that will be travelling to Abu Dhabi will be: Coach Andrii "B1ad3" Horodenskyi Andrii "⁠npl⁠" Kukharskyi Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev Denis "electroNic" Sharipov Ilya "Perfecto" Zalutskiy, Valerii "b1t" Vakhovskyi Viktor "sdy" Orudzhev Their first match on the competition will be against Team Vitality on December 14 at 11 PM PHT. Team Vitality Among the competing eight teams present, Vitality is ranked the highest, sitting in fourth position on the BLAST Premier World Leaderboard with 8825 points. They’ve earned that slot by putting up a solid performance all year. Following their triumph in the ESL Pro League Season 16, the team was awarded a ticket to the World Finals where they were declared winners after a hard-fought 3-2 victory against Team Liquid. That was undoubtedly the highlight of their season; however, they also came close to winning at the BLAST Premier: Spring Finals where they advanced to the grand finals before losing to the Ukrainian team Natus Vincere (NAVI). That is not to suggest that the year has been without its challenges. Vitality most recently finishes 12-14th at the IEM Rio Major last November, following a 0-2 defeat to ENCE. They also struggled earlier this year, finishing 13-16th in the ESL Pro League Season 15 and 9th-12th in the Intel Extreme Masters XVI in Katowice. Nonetheless, this is their second year in a row attending the BLAST Premier World Final, and they performed admirably last year. While they did not advance to the grand finale, they were rated third after their 0-2 loss to NAVi. That great performance came shortly after their victory at the 2021 IEM Winter Masters demonstrating that they are not a squad to be overlooked. Team Vitality’s lineup consist of: Coach Danny "zonic" Sørensen. Dan "apEX" Madesclaire Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen Emil "Magisk" Reif Lotan "Spinx" Giladi For Team Vitality’s first match, they will be fighting against NAVI this December 14 at 11 PM PHT. Heroic The team is one of the most formidable CS:GO squads in the world, having been created in 2016 by former Team X players. The team is presently ranked third on the BLAST Premier Leaderboard (after FaZe Clan and Navi); therefore, expectations for their success this month are high. Heroic enters the World Final as the surprise victors of the BLAST Premier Fall Finals last month, defeating the renowned FaZe Clan in a stunning 2:1 triumph – somewhat of a rematch for the team, having fallen to FaZe Clan earlier in the season. That is not the only source of pride in recent heroic history. This year at the Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major, the team advanced all the way to the championship match before falling 0-2 against the Russian team Outsiders. The Fall Finals and Rio were undoubtedly the team’s high points this year unless they can go all the way in Abu Dhabi. However, they’ve had a decent year, finishing 3rd-4th at IEM Katowice 2022. They've made a little change to their roster for the World Final, with Heroic resting Martin “stavn” Lund while he prepares for the 2023 season. Due to the changeup, Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke, will be joining the squad as a stand-in for the event. The player has been without a tea since October of last year when he was released by Astralis following a violent incident during ESL Pro League Season 16. With stavn out for the time being, Heroic’s lineup for the BLAST Premier World Final consists of: Coach Richard "Xizt" Landström Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke Casper "cadiaN" Møller René "TeSeS" Madsen Rasmus "sjuush" Beck Jakob "Jabbi" Nygaard alongside Heroic’s first matchup for this season will be against Danish Team OG this December 14 at 8 PM PHT. OG OG was invited to the World Final based on their standing on the BLAST Premier World Leaderboard where they are now sixth with 6300 points. The team has had a rollercoaster this year, with some excellent triumphs sandwiched between some crushing defeats. This year, OG has a few things to be proud of. They started 2022 strong, finishing 1st-3rd in the BLAST Premier: Spring Groups in February, defeating Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-1. They replicated their triumph in the BLAST Premier: Fall Groups in August, finishing 1st-3rd after a 2-0 win over the Astralis. The squad did well in the BLAST Premier Spring Finals in June, finishing 3rd-4th after being defeated by NAVI in a 1-2 defeat. That amazing performance came shortly after the squad finished 3rd-4th in the A-Tier event Global Esports Tour Dubai 2022. Nonetheless, the squad has had a poor showing in several Majors this year. They finished 13th-14th at the Inek Extreme Masters in Katowice after being eliminated from the event with 0-2 loss to MOUZ. That setback was followed by a 17th-19th place finish at the Intel extreme Masters Rio Major when they were defeated 1-2 by Team Vitality. We last saw them in the BLAST Premier Fall finals where they struggled again due to this they were ranked 7th-8th before they were eliminated by Ninjas in Pyjamas in a 0-2 setback. Team OG’s lineup for this season will be: Coach Casper "ruggah" Due Shahar "flameZ" Shushan Nemanja "nexa" Isaković Adam "NEOFRAG" Zouhar Maciej "F1KU" Miklas Abdulkhalik "degster" Gasanov OG will have their first match against Heroic this December 14 at 8 PM PHT.

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is almost over after the quarterfinal games were completed. Argentina, Croatia, France, and Morocco are the four groups that have advanced to the semifinals of the championship game. The first African nation, Morocco, has advanced to the semifinals. Argentina will play against Croatia in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 semifinal round on Wednesday, December 14. On Thursday, December 15, France will play Morocco. On December 18, the semi-two final’s winners will square off in the championship match. At Lusail Iconic Stadium, the first semifinal between Argentina and Croatia will take place. Al Bayt Stadium will host the second semifinal between France and Morocco. On Saturday, December 10, Morocco overcame Portugal to advance to the FIFA World Cup semifinals as the first African nation. The 10-man Morocco victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s star-studded Portugal in regulation time at the Al Thumama Stadium was one of the biggest upsets of the FIFA World Cup. Walid Cheddira received two yellow cards throughout the day while the Morocco team was also given a late red card. Cristiano Ronaldo broke down in tears when Portugal was eliminated, and his dreams of capturing the major title in his fifth World Cup were dashed. Ronaldo left the pitch and headed for the tunnel as soon as the final horn blew, crying. Cristiano Ronaldo entered the game six minutes into the second half but was unable to prevent his team’s loss. Though this is their World Cup meeting, Argentina and Croatia have never met in the knockout stages. Argentina, who has never lost in the semifinals, wants to get to the World Cup championship game.

In the previous round, the Portuguese defeated Switzerland with a score of 6-1. They won over Ghana with 3-2 and Uruguay with 2-0 to finish first in the group stage, but they fell to South Korea 2-1 after many of their starters were rested. Morocco, on the other hand, has undoubtedly been this World Cup’s biggest surprise. In a penalty shootout, the African nation defeated the overwhelming favorite Spain to go to the quarterfinals for the first time ever. In addition, the team was undefeated in group play, defeating Belgium 2-0, Canada 2-1, and Croatia 0-0 while tying with them. Despite Portugal’s superior World Cup track record, it is tough to discount Morocco’s Cinderella tale in 2022. This makes the game potentially timeless. Following that, there are some audacious predictions for Saturday’s quarterfinal World Cup 2022 encounter between Portugal and Morocco. Morocco has performed well in this competition, and its defense may be the main factor. The team has only given up one goal in four games, an own goal against Canada. Things against Spain were the same. Morocco didn’t concede a sing goal, not even in the penalty shootout. Yassine Bounou, the goalie, stopped attempts from Sergio Busquets and Carlos Soler. Bounou, a player for the Spanish club Sevilla, ended up earning Man of the Match honors. Morocco will need their goalie to be in top form once more in the quarterfinal matchup against another European powerhouse. With the expertise of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and a host of young players like Joo Felix and Rafael Leo, Portugal boasts a strong offense. Bounou should struggle on Saturday as a result of that. If he performs even remotely close to what he has been doing at this World Cup, Morocco should be in the running for yet another historic upset. The audacious forecast is that Bounou will continue to make a crucial save and advance his chances of winning the Golden Glove Award. Since Euro 2008, this was the first major competition in which he did not get off to a start for his country. Only one goal has been scored by Ronaldo at this World cup, a penalty kick in the team’s opening match against Ghana. Fortunately for Portugal, Goncalo Ramos, who replaced Ronaldo, scored the first hat-trick and provided an assist. Although Ramos was essential to the victory, many people disregarded with Santos’ choice to bench one of the best players of all-time. Ronaldo holds the record for most international goals ever scored with 118. He is the only player to have scored in five different men’s World Cups. His expertise and skills are unrivaled even if he is performing at the same level as he did when he was the FIFA Best Men’s Player for several years. But Portugal showed that it is capable of competing without relying primarily on Ronaldo. Because of this, the audacious guess is that Santos will start Ramos once more while reserving Ronaldo. However, because this competition should be more difficult, compared to the round of 16, Ronaldo will leave the bench earlier. One of the toughest games in this competition should be this one. On one side, a country is attempting to grant a soccer legend the long-awaited World Cup victory. On the other hand, a team will strive to make history by becoming the first nation from Africa to place in the top four. Morocco has momentum on its side despite Portugal having a greater historical perspective. Elite soccer is becoming more popular outside of Europe and South America as seen by winning a group that included two Europeans and the win against the 2010 World Cup Champion Spain.

Netherlands vs Argentina The 2014 World Cup semifinal between the Netherlands and Argentina, which was decided by a penalty shootout, will be rematched, and the Netherlands anticipate having a completely fit squad to pick from. Depay started back-to-back games for the first time since September, and head coach Van Gal picked an unchanged lineup for the final 16 games. Di Maria of Argentina has resumed training after missing the victory over Australia due to a quadriceps problem. Across generations, the idea of Argentina and the Netherlands playing against one another at a World Cup brings back many moments. There has been a long-established rivalry between the countries, which adds romanticism, whether it was Mario Kempes motivating Argentina to victory in the 1978 final, the exquisite touch and finish from Dennis Bergkamp to advance the Dutch in 1998, or a dull 2014 match concluding with Argentina goalie Sergio Romero becoming the penalty shootout hero. Nothing should be different on this occasion. On the biggest international stage, Lionel Messi o Argentina, who is widely regarded as the greatest player ever, may be performing for the final time. It might also be the final time we see Louis van Gal, the manager of the Netherlands, in the dugout. Messi, 35, represents his country’s ambitions as he pursues a championship that has eluded him while Van Gal, 71, who overcame prostate cancer earlier this year and will step down after the World Cup, is working to guarantee that the three-time runner-up will finally advance. As the Netherlands seek to avenge their semifinal loss in 2014, the veteran coach’s game strategy might mostly center on stopping Messi and catching Argentina on the break.

Army Geniuses Army Geniuses performed incredibly well for us during the regular season, finishing first in the standings with five victories, one defeat, and three ties, barely beating out their rivals, the Geek Fam, who have been attempting to catch up with them from the beginning. They performed even better in the playoffs, expertly knocking out third-place finishers Fnatic to the lower bracket of the playoffs, and now they’re aiming to do the same to second place finishers Geek Fam. With DB being the player to watch out for, the Indonesian team is currently ranked 51st in the world. In the match against Nature’s Prophet, the offlaner poses a serious threat while InYourDream plays carry; Yowe controls the midlane; Jhocam roams; Varizh provides rigid support, and wormy serves as a backup carry. See if they have what it takes to knock Geek Fam out and place them in the lower bracket. Geek Fam They have been on Army Geniuses tails from the start of the game, finishing second in the regular season, and they haven’t relented despite the fact that failing here would send them to the lower bracket, where they would have to compete against one more team. They gave us great performance, winning five games, drawing two, and losing two, one against Army Geniuses. Geek Fam is seeking retribution in this playoff game. To win, the Malaysian team will have to work hard. With his Gyrocopter and Faceless void, their carry, Skem, poses a threat to opponents on the field. NARMAN is the roamer; Kokz is in the midlane; Force is in the offlane, and Roddgee is on hard support. In both the regular season and the playoffs, they have demonstrated their strength.

The World Cup quarterfinals of 2022 have begun. With eight teams left in the competition after an exciting group stage and nerve-wracking round of 16, the event is entering its final stages. There are many prominent figures, excellent matchups, and elite athletes who are all focused on lifting the trophy on December 18. Croatia vs Brazil Brazil is full of confidence going into their World Cup quarterfinal matchup against Croatia on Friday after Neymar’s return sparked a confident and arrogant performance in the round of 16. Their impressive 4-1 victory over South Korea, which included goals from Vinicius Junior, Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta in addition to a Neymar Penalty, sent a chilling message to their rivals in Qatar. The players celebrated their goals by showcasing their dance moves, and for the last 45 minutes, the game was free-flowing and joyful. Tite, their 61-year-old coach, even joined in on the celebrations. The Selecao’s performance at Stadium 974 in Doha was so exciting that several people compared it to the best and most entertaining Brazilian teams, including Pele’s 1970 team and Socrates 1982 team. However, it was just one game, and it came after the five-time winners fell to Cameroon, their first loss in the opening round of a World Cup since 1998, and only managed to score three goals in three group games. Given the results prior World Cups, Brazil will undoubtedly accept a straightforward victory over Croatia at Education City Stadium rather than playing exhibition football. Since winning their fifth championship in 2002, Brazil has lost all of their matches to European opponents, including humiliating losses to Germany 7-1 at home in 2014 and Belgium in Russia four years ago. After the victory over South Korea, Neymar remarked "We are dreaming of winning the title; that’s obvious, but we have to go step by step". This was the fourth game, and there are still three games left, but we are ready, and we have the championship on our minds. After sustaining an ankle injury in the opening 2-0 triumph over Serbia, Neymar made his way back into the starting lineup for the round of 16, and Danilo’s comeback at left back was almost crucial. Another full-back for Tite, Alex Telles, is out for the duration of the competition although Alex Sandro is working out again and anticipates returning. If so, Danilo will move to right back, and Eder Militao should withdraw to the side. After being forced into extra time in three straight games, Croatia advanced to the final, four years ago. On Monday, they needed an extra half-hour and penalties to defeat Japan in the round of 16. The danger now is that this game might be a step too far for Zlatko Dalic’s resilient team, who have much the same spine as four years ago and are still captained by the 37-year-old Luka Modric. Mateo Kovacic stated, “I think everyone in the world knows the value of Luka Modric. He’s our leader, our best player, and we are proud to have him on the field.” The Chelsea player continued “We are accustomed to very tough physical games in the Premier League, and that’s something that we want to show against Brazil”. Whatever the outcome, the four-million-person nation should be proud of reaching this level after its 2018 accomplishments. However, Croatia, who has only suffered one loss since the European Championship last year, is confident in their Nations league victory over France in Paris in June as a model. We needed to maintain possession of the ball against Brazil since we played a pretty strong game here, according to Kovacic.

Fnatic vs Lilgun Fnatic In the most recent game, the Fnatic squad played in a dreadful manner. The squad wasted a chance with a carry valora during the first match versus Army Geniuses 0-2. The roster demonstrated an incapacity to utilize talented characters. In the second map, generally speaking, the Indonesians defeated the Fnatic man with an already winning sniper at full free farm. At the group stage, it's still impossible to anticipate impressive results from this team because Fnatic is underwhelmed as well, but the Filipinos must put up a fight against the Mongols. Lilgun The Lilgun squad debuted in January 2021; it was composed entirely of pure Mongolian players and came together just for the DPC leagues. Although the team comfortably won the second division, shocking the entire region, the Mongols were unable to compete in the elite division the previous year. The strongest Mongolian team will begin the new season among the top Southeast Asian teams after spending the entire previous campaign in the second divisions, but in the summer, they were able to secure a spot in the elite. Lilgun advanced to the playoffs; however, in the opening game, they managed to defeat their fellow countrymen from Purple Paradox. EHOME vs Execration EHOME A lack of personnel in the Chinese region pushes formerly title and well-known organizations to sign compositions with virtually no name on them. There nonetheless, EHOME was not an exception, having acquired the Unity Gaming team, which had just competed in BTS Pro Series Season 13 and had also recently been created. At the group stage, three Chinese players and two Malaysian players were able to crack the Top 4 of the table and begin the playoffs from the winners' bracket, where they were cruelly hammered by Geek Fam players with 0-2. The debut of EHOME on the new roster took place in the match with Geek Fam, and it couldn’t have been worse for the lads representing the new brand. Execration Execration distinguishes out for its experience when compare to the other competitors in this competition. The team formed in the Philippines participated in numerous elite matches and even traveled to Kyiv for the major season before last. However, the squad was unsuccessful the previous year and currently lost a spot in the elite. But even so, the Filipinos will begin a new DPC style in the Southeast Asian elite; thanks to their success in the summer league in the second division. The squad often has an ordinary group stage at BTS Pr series Season 13, but it gets its first opportunity in the playoffs. Remember that in season 11 and 12, Execration won the tournament’s vice championship, and in season 10, they made it to the Top 4. As a result, the Filipinos have had a positive playoff experience as they once again proved by convincingly defeating the SPAWN Team in their most recent game in the lower bracket’s first round with 2-0. Furthermore, based on how EHOME performed yesterday, we can anticipate how far the Filipinos will go.

Cristiano Ronaldo was benched by Portugal coach Fernando Santos for the last 16 matches against Switzerland, and he was rewarded with a hat-trick from stand-in Goncalo Ramos and an incredible team performance. It was first time 31 games dating back to 2008 that Ronaldo had not started in a major tournament, and Santos expressed his displeasure at the gestures made by Ronaldo after he was substituted in the last group match against South Korea. To put it gently, Portugal made light if the 37-year-old’s absence when Ramos, a striker of Benfica, scored the first triple of the tournament in his maiden international start to help his team advance to the quarterfinals against Morocco after defeating Spain on penalties. Ramos opened the scoring for Portugal after 17 minutes with a shot past Switzerland goalkeeper Jan Sommer at the near post. Pepe, a seasoned 39-year-old defender, increased Portugal’s advantage in the 33rd minute by heading home Bruno Fernandes' corner. Six minutes after the break, Ramos effectively ended the game with a close-range swoop on a cross from Diogo Dalot, and four minutes later, Raphael Guerriero completed the sweeping play with a powerful goal. This continued the full dream debut. For Switzerland, Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji scored a goal, but Ramos immediately scored his third goal with a clever chip, prompting the Lusail Stadium audience to vocally demand Ronaldo’s introduction. Ramos the coach of Portugal, complied the with victory after Ronaldo entered amid thunderous cheers, but his teammates truly deserve all the praise for an excellent effort. Rafael Leao, 23, capped off an impressive performance by curling in the sixth goal after Ronaldo had the ball in the net but was adjudged to be offside. The spotlight and focus on the declining superstar at Lusail Stadium shone even more brightly in his direction as a result of Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence. After the national anthems, Ronaldo was surrounded by photographers in the dugout. He then received a pop star’s reception when he entered as a substitute amid 74 minutes, after a loud and lengthy chant for his introduction, especially form the locals who had travelled to see him in person. However, Ronaldo shouldn’t be the main focus. The side from Portugal, who had to play without the player who is presently looking for a new club after leaving Manchester United, appeared more dynamic, fluid and cohesive. Even without Ronaldo, Portugal has a talented team, and Ramos had an immediate effect with his goals, teamwork and movement. Rafaels Leao’s stunning late goal was another example of Portugal's promising future which scarcely appeared to be in the risk as they easily defeated Switzerland. Santos, the head coach of Portugal, is known to be a stern-looking man but a cunning businessman with a Euro 2016 victory to his name. He would have every right to smile after making the courageous but ultimately wise choice to exclude the domineering presence of his team. Portugal put up such a comprehensive show that Ronaldo will undoubtedly not start against Morocco in the forthcoming World Cup quarterfinal.

Purple Paradox vs Lilgun Purple paradox Another Mongolian team came quite close to making it all the way to the top bracket of the playoffs in this competition. The team’s cards displayed a 9-9 record, with three victories, three draws and three losses. The team is interesting; Valky and Fearlssla previously played for the Filipino Team Neon while the other members are largely unknown on the international stage. The team is odd: Valky and Fearlssla previously played for the Filipino Team Neon while the other members are largely unknown on the international stage. Notably, the team at the Mongolian tournament MESA Champions: GEG Edition 2022 was unable to get through the semifinals last September, but the players were able to display the game better than Mongols from Lilgun team. Lilgun The Lilgun team debuted around January 2022; it was composed entirely of pure Mongolian players and came together just for the DPC leagues. Although the team comfortably won the second division, shocking the entire region, the Mongols were unable to compete in the elite division the previous year. The strongest Mongolian team will begin the new season among the top teams in Southeast Asia after spending the entire previous campaign in the second divisions, but in the summer, they were able to secure a spot in the elite. Army Geniuses is the strongest team in this group stage despite the team having only one victory in this tournament. Otherwise, three losses were followed by five draws. Lilgun advanced to the playoffs, but they will win this game. SPAWN Team vs Execration SPAWN Team Although the newly created Indonesian team SPAWN Team was able to perform admirably in the group stage of this competition, it is difficult to anticipate ongoing improvements and advancement in the lower bracket. On the final game day of the previous stage, this team had a chance to score the game-winning goal, but the Indonesians were unable to complete the task. More specifically, they were able to earn a spot at the top of the playoff bracket with their own efforts, but their last match ended with a draw against XERXIA. Execration Execration distinguishes out for its experience when compared to the other competitors in this tournament. The Filipino team participated in the major in Kyiv last year and played a lot in the elite. However, the squad was unsuccessful the previous year and currently lost a spot in the elite. But nonetheless, the Filipinos will begin a new DPC cycle in the Southeast Asian elite; thanks to their success in the summer league in the second division. The squad typically has an ordinary group stage at BTS Pro Series 13, but it gets its first opportunity in the playoffs. Remember that Execration made it into the TOP 4 in 10 seasons and was the vice champion in 11 and 12. We are anticipating the Filipinos in the following round of the lower bracket because they are prepared for their experience playing in the playoffs and have everything in order.

Brazil’s stunning exhibition of attacking genius to destroy South Korea and set up a quarterfinal match against Croatia sent a chilling message to their World Cup Rivals. At Stadium 974, Neymar made his goal-scoring comeback form injury, but Brazil’s superstar was only a small part of a devastating performance that destroyed South Korea and ended this last 16 matches well before halftime. After seven minutes, Vinicius Junior calmly finished Raphinha’s cross in the penalty area to set the tone. Six minutes later, Neymar increased Brazil’s lead from the spot after fouling Richarlison. Neymar scored his 76th goal for Brazil, putting him only one goal short of the legendary Pele’s record. When Richarlison followed up his breathtaking volley goal against Serbia with a true piece of art, he added to his personal highlight reel of World Cup goals. He first controlled the ball three time with his head and foot before advancing into posing to receive Thiago Silva’s pass and score. After 36 minutes, Vinicius found Lucas Paqueta for West Ham’s high-priced acquisition to score with a perfectly placed volley as Brazil went up by four goals. To their great credit, South Korea maintained their competitiveness and forced three excellent saves form Brazil keeper Alisson before replacement Paik Seung-ho added another spectacular goal to the evening’s special goal with a spectacular 30-yard strike. Brazil was able to reach heights no other teams has, this World Cup for 45 minutes at Stadium 974, as they showed the level that will be needed to defeat Tite’s team and delivered a series of goals built the best traditions of their nation. And it was all done with the effortless freedom of expression that is Brazil’s characteristic; a four-goal lead at halftime helped to show some of their superiority A highlight of the competition was Richarlison’s goal, which was followed by a team dance that unexpectedly featured coach Titte. After missing two group games due to an ankle injury incurred against Serbia, Neymar returned to action with smooth touches and a goal before being replaced late in the game. Along with Richarlison and Vinicius, he forms a formidable attacking trio for Brazil that is both scoring goals and making a significant impact on this world cup. Tite was able to rest Alisson and bring on third choice goalkeeper Weverton for a taste of World Cup action since he felt so confident about Brazil’s position. Brazil has established itself as the team to compete against Croatia after putting on the strongest performance thus far in Qatar, or at least for the first 45 minutes before they started to falter. Brazil’s three goal victory margin was convincing and well deserved, but this victory also revealed another element of Tite’s team’s strength. South Korea may have been outmatched for big stretches of the game, but they still had plenty of chances before coming up against Liverpool’s Alisson, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Even though South Korea never stopped trying to create chances, Alisson was brilliant. He deflected a long-range shot from Hwang Hee-chan before reacting fast to block him after the interval and sprinted off his line to stop Tottenham’s Son Heung-min when he was clear through. Brazil may be packed of attacking alternatives, but they also have the protection of Alisson, who has brought his exceptional play at club level this season on the world stage.

Dota 2 competitions resume as usual, and the BTS Pro Series Season 13 SEA is on the agenda. This pleased fans after “Beyond the Summit” recently revealed that they probably won’t be holding Dota 2 competitions in the upcoming season. But as long as BTS is around, we may enjoy the exciting scene of the scene Southeast Asia’s artists. After its thirteenth generation since the year 2020, the BTS Pro Series doesn’t require an introduction as it is well-known for its comprehensive format, which consists of group stage and playoffs. While the group stage is a best two single round robin, the playoffs are a best-of-three format (except the best if five grand finals). The 10 competing teams include some Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) veterans. Among the group stage competitors, Fnatic, Execration, Army Geniuses, and Lilgun are all likely to be fan favorites. Out all of the orgs, we weren’t really prepared for Geek Fam to come back. Even though Geek Fam disbanded last 2020, throughout its active years, it was essential in the debuts of several prominent players. Particularly notable were the former T1 players Kenny””Xepher” Deo, Matther “Whitemon” Filemon, and Carlo “Kuku” Palad. Additionally, Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang, the mid player of PSG.LGD, a former member from the earlier era of Geek Fam. There are newbies who are unacquainted and may have hidden potential among these renowned namesakes. Neon Atomic, XERXIA, SPAWN Team, Unity Gaming, and Purple Paradox are the remaining teams. You’d be intrigued to learn that the amateur teams in the 13th season of the BTS Pro Series SEA are serious contenders. On the first day of the tournament, SPAWN and Atomic contested the seasoned DPC staples. With a solid pick, Atomic was able to steal a game from Army Geniuses and Lilgun. From a distance, it appears to be a team fight-focused game with an enormous scaling potential. When Atomic, for instance, delivered mid Mars, AG was apparently caught off guard as they anticipated it was an offlane pick. While they certainly weren’t anticipating this mind game, they had to take AG’s hard carry Lifestealer into account when making the Slarder last pick. Atomic’s ease with their Naga and Mars picks has hidden the Silence, which seemed to be the true gem of their draft. The support from the Silencer made it possible to have a impactful fights, which at the same time was very crucial in shutting down Lilgun’s line-up. SPAWN, who also dominated Lilgun at the BTS Pro Series S13 SEA, appears to be another unassuming contender. When combined with their synergy, their heavy snowballing tactics and AOE magic damage line-up make up for a dangerous combo. Fnatics has not yet confirmed their roster as teams compete in the group stage. They won’t be competing until Day 4; thus, it is yet to be confirmed who will make up Fnatic’s lineup at this point. At the BTS Pro Series S12 and the international, FNC’s late season performances were slow. To recap, we already know that they dismissed their hard carry and offlane players, Marc “Raven” Fausto and Anucha”Jabz” Jirawong. Jabz’s departure was a major blow, as for Raven’s departure, it was expected given that teams typically replace hard carry payers in shuffles. Jabz is the leader of Fnatic, the team responsible for the resilient Enigma offlane drafts. Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla, Fnatic’s current hard support player, will most likely won’t be performing the captain’s role, which is traditionally played by pos5 supports. There were simply two possible choices for captain. With that being said, Djardel ”DJ” Mampusti, the pos4 support in Fnatic, is famous for his technical ability in drafting, but he was less involved in selections last session. Or a new offlane player will also serve as the captain and drafter. Additionally, there is Kuku, who is now a free agent, and the only offlane player that is a captain. Although the roster speculations being circulated are noteworthy, it is likely that Fnatics’s upcoming lineup for BTS Pro Series S13 SEA will be unveiled shortly.

As the BLAST Premier Fall Finals began in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Wednesday, Heroic battled back to defeat Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-1. In group stage, FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, and Team Liquid all won their opening matches. Following their triumphs yesterday, FaZe Clan and Heroic are both feeling great. Particularly FaZe Clan put on a great performance, defeating OG by a score of 2-0, but Heroic can also take pride in their 2-1 triumph over Ninjas in Pyjamas. You won't want to miss the match that will pit the two winners against one another later today. The $425,000, eight-team CS:GO tournament winner will take home $200,000 in addition to a spot in the $1 million BLAST Premier World Final, which will take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from December 14 to 18. The teams are divided into two groups for the double-elimination first round of the Fall Finals. The playoff semifinals are reached by group stage champions. The ground-stage 3rd place groups advance to the quarterfinals as low seeds while the group-stage runners-up advance as high seeds. All games across the whole competition are best-of-three, with single elimination serving as the format for the semifinals, final, and semifinals. The competition continues through Sunday. On Wednesday in Group A, Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated Inferno 16-13 before Heroic rallied to defeat Ancient 16-6 and Overpass 16-4. Heroic's all-Danish team was led by Martin "stavn" Lund, who had 65 kills and a plus-23 kill-death discrepancy. For Ninjas in Pyjamas, Sweden's Fredrik "REZ" Sterner recorded 50 kills and a plus-2 K-D differential. FaZe Clan defeated OG 2-0 in the other Group A match by defeating Ancient 16-3 and Mirage 16-6. Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken of Canada led FaZe Clan with 41 kills and a plus-21 K-D differential. Russia's Abdul "degster" Gasanov paced OG with 33 kills and a plus-3 K-D differential. Natus Vincere defeated Fluxo 2-0 thanks to victories over Dust II (16-14) and Mirage (16-7). Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev led Natus Vincere with 48 kills and a plus-20 K-D differential. For Fluxo's all-Brazilian team, Joao "felps" Vasconcelos produced 41 kills and a plus-3 K-D differential. G2 Esports was defeated 2-0 by Liquid, who won the games Vertigo 16-10 and Mirage 16-14. Mareks "YEKINDAR" Galinskis finished the game for Liquid with 48 kills and a plus-10 K-D differential. Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov of Russia completed the game with 36 kills and a balanced K-D differential for G2. The victors match, which starts at 10 PM, is sure to be exciting. Both teams have put on strong performances thus far, with FaZe Clan obviously motivated to redeem themselves after their underwhelming showing at the IEM Rio Major. Heroic has performed admirably thus far, but the odds, which range from 1.82 to 1.96, favor FaZe Clan. Still, everything is still up for grabs, so you won't want to miss this showdown. Choose your favorite team while you still have the chance because the action is about to begin!

The BLAST Premier Fall Finals will take place from November 23 to 27. It's the second-to-last BLAST event of the year, with the World Final set to take place from December 14 to December 18 at Copenhagen's Royal Arena. The Fall Finals begin on November 23 when eight teams compete for triumph - with a grand prize of a portion of a $425,000 prize money, as well as BLAST Premier points and the opportunity to compete for even more win at the World Final tournament. The group stage of the Fall Finals will start on November 23rd, with eight teams competing in a double-elimination bracket. The last two teams will be removed, which leaves the surviving six teams to compete in the playoffs. The group stage games are determined by the Bo3 (best of three) rule, and the victors advance to the semifinals. In the meantime, the second-place finishers will advance to the high-seed quarter finals while the third-place finishers will advance to the low-seed quarter finals. When the teams reach the playoffs, they will compete in a single-elimination bracket in Bo3 matches. In addition to a share of the competition's prize money, the eight teams are vying for the opportunity to compete in the World Final, which will be held in December. The winner of each season's final will instantly advance to the World Finals, at which they'll be united by the finalists of other non-BLAST Premiers, together with the groups performed best on the BLAST Premier Global Leaderboard, which is determined by their results in the year's most important leagues and competitions. The Fall Finals will feature eight teams divided into two groups: A and B. Group A's groups are as follows: FaZe Clan Heroic Ninjas in Pyjamas OG FaZe Clan is among our tournament favorites and one to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. FaZe were indeed a formidable opponent in the IEM Rio Major previously this year as they were the reigning champions. Amidst great hopes, FaZe were defeated in the Legends Stage, finishing with a 0-3 record. Heroic has also recorded a powerful recent performance and a recent setback to make up for. They came so nearly winning in Rio, trying to make it all the way to the finals. Outsiders were able to take the final win, leaving Heroic in a well-deserved second spot. Still, only time will determine whether they can triumph in Copenhagen. NIP doesn't have the same proven record as the prior two teams, yet that doesn't mean they should be written off right away. Ninjas advanced all the way to the Legends Stage in Rio before being eliminated by Fnatic. They face a difficult opponent in their first game against Heroic, but CS:GO has seen numerous upsets this year. OG has secured their spot in the Fall Finals by being one of the Fall Groups champions (along with Team Liquid and Natus Vincere), but do they possess what it requires to make it all the way? Their first game against FaZe Clan, who are heavily favored to win, does not work particularly well for them. Nonetheless, with a history of unexpected victories in CS:GO, they are not to be underestimated. Group B's teams are as follows: Fluxo G2 Esports Natus Vincere (Navi) Team Liquid Fluxo is a newer organization, that was established in January 2021. But besides this, Fluxo seems to have some good performances under their belt, most particularly first place in the BLAST Premier: Fall American Showdown, which earned them a spot in the Fall Finals. They will, however, be facing stiff competition as they will face reigning champions Navi in their first match on November 23. In the meantime, G2 has a much longer history, dating as far back to 2013. G2 are strong competitors but have finished up second at Intel Extreme Masters XVI in Katowice, as well as PGL Major Stockholm 2021 and Intel Extreme Masters XVI in Cologne. Navi are the defending BLAST World Champions, having triumphed in the Finals in both the 2020 and 2021 series. If they manage to complete the hat trick and advance to the World Finals in 2022, they will have decided to compete in every BLAST Premier World Final since the tournament's beginning in 2020. Lastly, Team Liquid enters the Fall Finals on a high note, having won the Fall Groups stage (along with OG and Navi). They advanced to the Legends stage of the IEM Rio Major 2022 but were eliminated after back-to-back failures by Heroic and Spirit. Their first game against G2 looks to be a close one, with both teams having a good shot of winning.

Early this month, 24 CS:GO teams from around the globe descended upon Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in an effort to win the IEM Rio Major 2022 and the majority of the $1,250,000 prize pool. Only eight teams have emerged as champions after two rounds of the competition to take home this magnificent Major trophy. The IEM Rio Major 2022's Legends Stage is now over, and CS:GO fans can now look forward to the Champions Stage, which will include the tournament's playoff bracket. Over the following four days, the eight CS:GO teams that are still in the competition will face off in an effort to win a victor's prize worth $500,000. As the second and last Major of the year, IEM Rio 2022, nears its completion, CS:GO fans can anticipate a weekend of breathtaking encounters. IEM Rio 2022 is providing us with a compelling bracket. The Playoffs bracket appears to be ideally calibrated both in terms of how it will look in the future and how the matchups will feel right away. The Champions Stage of the competition will take place live at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's Jeunesse Arena, as opposed to the tournament's earlier stages, which were staged in Riocentro. There is a lot to read through with four elimination series over the next two days. Let's begin straight away. OUTSIDERS VS FNATIC This is going to be one-sided contest with a significant lead for one squad. Begin with the present state. Outsiders overcame reputable teams like MOUZ, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Spirit while winning three games in a row. However, despite their ups and downs, fnatic won by defeating BIG and ENCE. It will be simple to predict the map veto for this best of three games. Nuke and Dust 2 are receiving permanent bans. This indicates that Overpass should be the map chosen by fnatic whereas Inferno is the map that Outsiders should choose. Before we wrap off with this prediction, there are a few things you should be aware of. These two teams competed with one another in the Challengers Stage, and the game was incredibly one-sided. That speaks a lot that Outsiders destroyed Fnatic after just one (1) round of Overpass. Overall, we think Jame and his team will win this match with ease. MOUZ VS CLOUD 9 Six straight victories for Cloud9 have them going stronger than ever. MOUZ, on the other side, has two wins and two losses over their last four games. It's also crucial to note that MOUZ struggled against teams like ENCE, Outsiders, and BIG whereas Cloud9 defeated prominent competitors like Natus Vincere and FaZe. For this one, it is not necessary to go into great detail about map veto. Only Inferno or Mirage makes sense for MOUZ, and we don't believe they possess the skills it requires to defeat Cloud9 on either of these maps. For Cloud9, they have a huge advantage and can choose between Vertigo and Overpass. Overall, Cloud9 is scorching hot right now, and it appears like nobody can beat them. It looks like sh1ro and his side will win this match after two maps. TEAM SPIRIT VS HEROIC We should expect a tight battle overall, and this one will be quite entertaining. So far at IEM Rio, Heroic has seemed reliable. Despite being severely outplayed by Cloud9, they continued to play strong Counter-Strike. That was demonstrated by victories against fnatic, Outsiders, and Liquid. Yet, Spirit was completely absent from the best-of-one matches. Although they were beaten by FURIA and Outsiders, both of these bo1s could have ended differently. The Brazilian team quickly recovered with wins over Sprout and Liquid. It will be challenging to anticipate a valid map veto, but we'll attempt nevertheless. Heroic is permanently banning Dust 2, but Spirit wants to take out Inferno first. Additionally, Nuke appears to be a sensible choice for Spirit in this match, and Overpass ought to be Heroic's default map in this match. In all honesty, we think Heroic is the superior team in this game. On Nuke, they can compete, and on Overpass, they will get their way. Clearly, the smart bet is on the Danish side. NATUS VINCERE VS. FURIA To wrap things up with a pretty straightforward match breakdown: It is undeniable that Natus Vincere is among the best Counter-Strike esports teams. However, s1mple and team found themselves in a great deal of danger following a shaky start and two 16-14 losses to Cloud9 and Liquid. They were guaranteed a position in the playoffs after two quick wins over the Bad News Eagles and BIG. In contrast, FURIA won six straight games, but they weren't up against the same level of opposition. In this situation, pressing forward with Natus Vincere is the only sensible option. It is unlikely that NaVI won't meme their path towards another victory.

After the conclusion of Day Four of the IEM Rio Challengers Stage, each of the six teams left is vying for one of the final three slots in the Legends Stage. Beginning on Nov. 5, the Legends Stage will feature a number of CS:GO powerhouses competing for a share of the $1.25 million prize pool. The winner of the Major will receive a prize of $50000 and a spot in both the IEM Katowice 2023 and the BLAST Premier World Final in 2022. But first, we must make it through yet another day. A slip may spell disaster for Team Vitality, Cloud9, GamerLegion, OG, 9z, and Fnatic, who are all skating on thin ice. Each team has one shot left to advance to the main stage as they balance on a precarious 2-2 tightrope. Team Vitality and OG will compete against each other in a CS:GO match at the IEM Rio Major 2022 on November 3 at 10 PM PH time. The match will be played in a best-of-three style because the event is run under the Swiss method. The pair's strongest player advances to the Legends Stage while the loser is disqualified from the Major. The teams will meet again in 2022 at this time. The teams' most recent meeting took place at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2022. The final score of the game was 16:11 in favor of the apEX roster. The Vitality team is the tournament favorite and currently sits in second place in the team rankings provided by the HLTV.org webpage as of the time of writing. Who will exit the IEM Rio Major 2022, OG or Team Vitality, and who will move on to the Legends Stage?

Team Aster vs Team Liquid The first round of the top bracket will feature a match between Team Liquid and Team Aster. Who is going to maintain their ability to make mistakes, and who will be forced to use them as they advance through the tournament bracket? What kind of a series is this going to be? The Liquids' performance was inconsistent. On one hand, they, like OG, consistently received major picks despite the fierce rivalry in the area. Team Liquid, struggled in both Arlington and Stockholm. The iNSaNiA squad played hardly at all in the group stage before losing in the opening round of the bottom bracket. A very lackluster performance at the commercial ESL One Malaysia 2022 was contributed to this. The group easily proceeded to Last Chance, where they were officially qualified for The International's main stage. The choices made by Team Liquid fit the game as a whole, however because of the "highlights" in the picks, it is feasible to get a sizable beginning advantage. It is challenging to manage the pressure of the "liquid" on the lining. Absolute control starts in the middle of the game, as characterizes European teams, and the advantage can increase rapidly. However, Team Liquid's first drawback is that occasionally they let themselves to make blunders on major networks, forcing you to focus about preserving your personal throne rather than assuming control. The second-highest ratio of assists to kills among all TI 11 participants is almost 66 assists for every 29 kills, indicating that players maneuver skillfully and seek out advantageous trades. The mental component of Team Liquid might be its second drawback. The group failed to win a single match in the playoffs of significant competitions throughout the year. Thy" will undoubtedly sense this pressure within themselves. Additionally, they had to compete against one of The International 11's favorites right away in the top bracket. The Chinese organization has long sought the ideal mix of members to produce excellent results. The Stars excelled in local competitions and local DPC leagues, but at major tournaments and International Series events, it appeared that players had been changed. They had trouble advancing through the group stages and remaining outside the top 8. But things have drastically changed as of 2022. The team's performance in China did not suffer with the addition of Ori and Siamece.C, but Team Aster fared much better at the most recent major in Arlington. Aster lost just to the eventual tournament winner Team Spirit as they advanced to the top 3. The team advanced to the final at ESL One Malaysia a short while later but lost against BO5 OG. In standby, Team Aster triumphed over the group stage. The Chinese squad was unmatched in the first two days, but there was a slight drift in the final four sets. After Fnatic's unexpected loss, an odd series of events occurred: Team Secret lost, Thunder Awaken drew, and Team Spirit's final map was over in less than 20 minutes. There is a hypothesis that following one defeat, Chinese teams get into the tilt state. LaNm, though, has up to three days to get the players back on track. But it turns out that the Chinese team was unable to defeat the other teams that advanced from Group B to the top bracket after the group stage. A win, a defeat, or both. There is a perception that Team Aster players struggle to find the appropriate moves to win matches versus comparable teams. The Chinese will also struggle in BO3 versus Team Liquid considering their losing record in matches on Monday and Tuesday, and their success is not certain. Team Aster is unquestionably a formidable opponent, but Liquid have looked fantastic in the Groups. While much will rely on whether of Du "Monet" Peng and MATUMBAMAN plays better, we predict Liquid will win 2-1. OG vs Tundra Analysts think OG rediscovered their stride in the waning moments of the Group Stage and will likely comeback with a reverse-sweep after losing the first match. Tundra Esports and OG will be a difficult matchup and can be anyone's victory. For most groups, going up against OG and their fan base would be a big gamble, but not Tundra Esports. They made the perfect choice to take on OG rather than their alternate, PSG.LGD. Although OG is not a routine team, they are undoubtedly more vulnerable to Tundra's talent. Each team is probably regulars at bootcamp, which makes this match more convenient for both of them. Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf is one player on OG who has attracted the interest. Nevertheless, Twitch chat will probably be buzzing at the moment as the player feeds with the correct defenses and bans. Given the power boost it provides when left unchecked in lane, Slardar ought to be a must-ban for Tundra. It wouldn't be too shocking for any team to fall in this series because it will be close on both ends.