FaZe Clan Defeats NAVI to Win PGL Antwerp Major 2022

The PGL Antwerp Major 2022 has concluded with FaZe Clan lifting the trophy and creating history by becoming the first international CS:GO lineup to be crowned as Major champions.

NAVI could not hold back FaZe Clan who seemed more than prepared across both the maps, Inferno and Nuke. It handled the former Stockholm Major champions with great finesse, Helvijs "broky" Saukants and Håvard "rain" Nygaard stepping up on the big night for FaZe.

As for NAVI, it faced a '5-10' deficit at the halfway mark across both the maps. On Inferno it managed to put up a tough fight, taking the game into overtime before the eventual defeat, while on Nuke it was a complete outplay that grounded it to a complete halt.

FaZe Clan defeats NAVI to lift the PGL Antwerp Major 2022 trophy

The grand final of the Antwerp Major was definitely worth a watch, as the top two CS:GO teams in the world, NAVI and FaZe Clan, clashed for a chance to lift the trophy in front of a live audience and more than two million online viewers.

FaZe Clan selected Inferno as its map pick for the first game of the night, winning the first eight rounds in succession to start off with a bang. NAVI did manage to counter this ruthless attack by winning five rounds as defenders, followed by an equally destructive T-side that forced the game into overtime.

Though NAVI was unable to find victory despite the second-half heroics, it was an exciting comeback which perfectly set up the BO3 series for the second game on Nuke.

Once again FaZe Clan was off to a brilliant start, playing as defenders this time around and limiting the scope of NAVI's attack with the scorecard repeating itself at the halfway mark.

The famed CT-side of NAVI on Nuke was not prepared for what FaZe Clan had in store for it, as rain ran circles around it and pierced the NAVI defence multiple times to provide his team with a huge advantage at crucial points of the game.

The star player of NAVI, Aleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev, clearly struggled to find his rhythm tonight on the big stage, attaining an overall HLTV rating of just 0.89 along with a -7 K/D ratio. However, it was great to see the youngest member of the team, Valerii "b1t" Vakhovskyi, play with such confidence and deliver an impactful performance on the big stage despite being under immense pressure.

This was a huge victory for FaZe Clan, especially for their captain Finn "karrigan" Andersen, who at 32 years of age became the oldest CS:GO player to become a Major champion alongside his longtime teammate rain. The duo after more than four years, finally attaining their revenge for the infamous loss of the ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018.

Not just this, FaZe Clan collectively also became the first international CS:GO lineup to lift a Major trophy for the first time ever in the history of the game. An achievement that could reshape how other organizations approach build their CS:GO rosters