"It was never going to be easy" Sentinels edge out win over LOUD in Playoffs Day 1 of VCT Masters Madrid

VCT Masters Madrid Playoffs Day 1 has concluded, and fans were treated to quite the exciting matchups.

The second match of the day was an absolute nail biter between Sentinels and LOUD. Sentinels managed to beat LOUD 2-1 in a very fitting conclusion to Day 1 of the playoffs.

Sentinels 2-1 LOUD

Sentinels picked Split as Map 1. And they showed exactly why. They had a very dominant start on the map, winning four rounds right from the start. LOUD managed to get back a few rounds, but it was nowhere enough. Sentinels closed out the first half 9-3. It was more of the same in the second half, as Sentinels closed out the map at 13-4.

LOUD picked Icebox as the second map. And even though Sentinels managed to win out the pistol, LOUD had a decent first half. They managed to close out the first half 7-5. However, Sentinels managed to gain some momentum in the second half, and took the lead at 12-11. But LOUD were not ready to give up, as they pushed the map into overtime. And then proceeded to win both the overtime rounds to win the map at 14-12.

Sunset was the decider. And both teams were neck-and-neck on the map. Sentinels managed to take the lead in the first half at 7-5. But LOUD answered right back, by going 7-5 in the second half. Thus, tying the score at 12-12. And push the game into yet another overtime. But this time, it was Sentinels who managed to come out on top. They won both the rounds in overtime to win the map 14-12.

Post-match thoughts

In the post-match press conference, we asked saadhak if LOUD were not able to adapt to Sentinels quick enough, or if the slow and methodical philosophy was the right path to choose.

“I think they had an idea coming into this match, that they executed really really well. In the second map, and the third map, we adapted, then they adapted. So it is what it is. It’s part of the game. I think we started with a lead in both maps, if I [remember] correctly. I think after [the] pistols, our lead was really solid, but after that they adapted, and we started to lose some rounds here and there. Which caused a lot of overtime. And super close maps. So, maybe we needed to adapt a little bit faster also.”

We also asked coach stk on his thoughts on going up against Paper Rex in the Lower Bracket Semifinals, and also if there were any takeaways from this match.

“Of course. Every single match that we play, we learn something from our mistakes, or from stuff that we did good. I think that Paper Rex is another team that has a lot of different playstyle. So it will be a tough game tomorrow. They are unpredictable in many situations. So I feel like, for us, just rest the players. Me and peu are going to do the tactics stuff and be prepared for tomorrow.”

We asked the Sentinels team if they think they had room for improvement in the series, so as to avoid such close matchups in the future. Sacy had a few thoughts to share on this.

“I’ll be honest. It’s hard to say a unique thing that happened that we could pull it back. But both teams, us and LOUD, we were both trying to adapt to each other, every round. Even if it was 7-1 sometimes, it didn’t feel like 7-1, because it was so close every round. Almost every round was close in this series.

We played good, LOUD played good. [It was] really balanced, this series. So it’s unfair to say ‘What we could have done better so we could get an easy series for us’. It was never going to be easy.”

Finally, we asked coach kaplan on his thoughts about going against Gen.G in the Upper Bracket Finals. And also if there were any takeaways from this match that could prove useful. This was his response.

“I’m excited to play them. They’re a very different team from LOUD. We’re probably going to get a more methodical game tomorrow. LOUD are a brilliantly clever team, and they’re not afraid to play in a way that can be confusing and chaotic.

Whereas I think Gen.G are more about being a bit consistent, methodical, drilled. So I think it’s going to be a hard game, but a very different game. And I’m excited for that. [It’s] kind of a breath of fresh air after what we just went through.

And as for takeaways from today, we don’t have a lot of time, but I think we did a really good job. I think it was a really hard game. And we preserved. And obviously we’re going to try to clean up a few things and look at how Gen.G play. But mostly, just continue to play our game, and trust that it’ll get us across the finish line.”

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Featured Image Source: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

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