Team Dignitas vs. Fnatic saw not only two great teams but also two big organizations clashing to open the final day of ESL One Cologne. With their performances so far, Dignitas has left a few people speechless, while Fnatic seemed to be having a hard time in their matches against Na’Vi and Virtus.pro. Were Dignitas able to continue their run and take down the champion of DreamHack Winter?

Dust2: A classic opening

Fnatic was the one to win the first pistol round of this semifinal, also managing to pick up the two following rounds. Round four saw Dignitas planting the bomb in a 1on2 situation, giving them a chance to buy for the following. In the fifth round, Dignitas were finally in the position to take their first round, bringing the score to 4-1 in favor of the Swedes. Both teams focused on keeping weapons as much as possible, as demonstrated by Dignitas taking the sixth round while Fnatic managed to have three players stay alive. After two rounds being split, Fnatic started a very impressive run as their individual players took a stand to showcase their strength. At 7-3, Dignitas once again managed to not only gain access to B spot but also defend it, taking their fourth round. However Fnatic responded with a round taken without any loss, sending Dignitas to their next eco round. While not being able to make anything out of it, the following round saw the Danes successful, with FeTiSh leading his team to close the gap in the scoreline. A nicely played bait at A enabled them to plant on B in the following round and close halftime at only 9-6 for Fnatic.

Continuing their run, Dignitas were able to take the pistol round, giving them a shot at equalizing the score. However, after the first eco round, Fnatic were able to take the following by another CZ75 push, taking B and forcing the Danes to retreat. The saved rifles together with Dignitas’s semi buy round saw them unable to stop Fnatic from taking the B spot once again. Fnatic took the scoreline to 12-8 before they tried a go on A, which saw them successful once again and left Dignitas broke once more. The score was pushed to 14-8 before Dignitas were able to show some of the big plays we’ve seen over the last few days. Starting a streak of three rounds brought the game to a far more even point than before, when Fnatic scored their 15th round with four match points left. But olofm soon put a stop to the Danish hopes, winning Dust2 16-11.
 

Overpass: Did Fnatic’s pick pay off?

Starting as T, Fnatic once again took the opening pistol round but an aggressive CZ75 eco led to Dignitas taking the game to 4-1 in their favor. One more round went to Fnatic’s side before Dignitas, led by a FeTiSh on fire, came back once more. 7-2 was the scoreline, with Dignitas feeling pretty comfortable with the closed by areas of the map and setting up a very solid defense as result. Fnatic struggled to find the T side strength they showed on Dust2. Round by round the Danes extended their lead, with Fnatic finding ways to the spots but not managing to take them down in the end. By 10-2, Fnatic once again scored a round followed by one more to leave Dignitas with no money for the final round. Nonetheless, Dignitas managed to take the round with only very little equipment to close this half 11-4 in their favor.

A big fight started in the pistol round, which saw Dignitas take the shot and a starting advantage. However, Fnatic once again fought back to take the next rounds in a row, building up pressure on the Danes. They kept going until equalizing the score at 12-12, when aizy brought his team back into the leading position and made them get back into the game once more with another round. However, Fnatic managed to tie the game again at 14-14. Fnatic took their 15th round, with olofm pulling a defuse with precious little time left, putting the final round into their hands. Another last-minute battle took place, with Dignitas trying everything to defend the bomb only for Fnatic to once again manage to take the remaining Danes down in time, defusing the bomb to advance to the grand final 16-14.

And thus Dignitas miss another shot at a grand final participation in a saddening manner. Having the upper hand on Overpass made them look like they’d be taking the game to a third map but things all got out of hand in the end. However, with their results in the tournament so far, FeTiSh and his mates can be proud of themselves nonetheless, having once again made it to the final four of a major!

All CS:GO wrap-ups so far:

• Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. Cloud 9: a record-breaking series
• LDLC.com vs. Virtus.pro: Who won the Katowice rematch?
• Epsilon eSports vs. Team Dignitas: whose rise became a fall?
• Fnatic vs. Natus Vincere: the clash of generations
• Two big teams fall once more in the groups C and D of ESL One Cologne
• French Friday for ESL One Cologne's groups A and B
• Did groups C and D go according to plan at ESL One Cologne?
• The first surprises in groups A and B of ESL One Cologne
• More CS:GO on ESLGaming.com

Find all info such as brackets, streams and more on the ESL One homepage. Is Fnatic able to claim their second Major win in Cologne? What is your call on that? Tell us in the comments below!