Heading into the Best-of-Five final with a one map disadvantage, BIG managed to reverse sweep Extra Salt to win the FunSpark ULTI 2020 Europe Final and take home the bigger slice of the $250,000 prize pool.
As a result of their impeccable upper-bracket run, Extra Salt was starting 1-0 in the series. BIG chose Dust2, having defeated Extra Salt on it earlier in the tournament.
The match didn’t go accordingly, with Extra Salt conquering an 11-4 lead on the back of a dominating T side. The NA CS representatives dashed to match-point but BIG would streak ten rounds in a row to take us to the all decisive Round 30.
However, Josh “oSee” Ohm wouldn’t let BIG complete the comeback, with a triple kill sealing the 16-14 and putting Extra Salt on series-point.
Train was BIG’s last chance to get back in the series. During the first half, Johnny “JT” Theodosiou and Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek assured South African CS reigned supreme inside the server.
Nevertheless, on the back of some initiatives from Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz, the Germans would come back into the game in their T side and push the series to Vertigo with a 16-13 victory.
Despite closing off the first time of Vertigo on a five round lead, Extra Salt would run out of ideas on the attacking side of the map. It would take 30 rounds but BIG would take us to a fifth and final map.
A neck-and-neck Overpass would ensue. Extra Salt was first to thirteen. BIG answered with a successful MAC-10 B rush. Extra Salt won the following full eco. BIG got back with an A execute. With the economy broken, Extra Salt gambled A. BIG went B, 14-14.
And then, Nils “K1to” Gruhne came in with a huge spraydown, securing match-point and making it easy for BIG to close out the 3-2 reverse sweep and secure a first place finish at FunSpark ULTI 2020 Europe Final.
The next stop for BIG and Extra Salt will be at the DreamHack Masters Spring 2021, with the North American roster facing Astralis this Thursday in what will be the Danes first match since Device’s departure.
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