VALORANT Champions: Sentinels eliminated early after upset loss to KRÜ Esports

The competition in VALORANT Champions 2021 is heating up as the Group Stage draws nearer to a close, with Masters Reykjavík champions Sentinels bombing out of the tournament in 9th-12th place after getting upset 2-1 by Latin American team KRÜ Esports in the decider match of Group B on Tuesday (7 December).

As the champions of Masters Reykjavík and arguably the strongest team in North America, Sentinels were one of the heavy favorites to raise the trophy at VALORANT Champions. They were seeded into Group B alongside KRÜ Esports, Team Liquid from Europe, and FURIA Esports from Brazil.

The opening matches of Group B saw Sentinels defeat FURIA, 2-1, while Liquid swept KRÜ, 2-0. KRÜ then defeated FURIA, 2-1, in the group's first elimination match while Liquid outlasted Sentinels, 2-1, in the winner's match.

As a result, Liquid advanced to the Playoffs as the top seed of Group B while Sentinels and KRÜ were pit against each other in the decider match for the group's last Playoff spot.

Sentinels started the series strong, as they took a 9-3 lead in the first half of game one in Fracture. While KRÜ managed to snag four rounds after the side switch, Sentinels still cruised to a comfortable 13-7 win in the series opener.

Things were looking dire for KRÜ after the first half of game two in Haven after Sentinels built another dominant 8-4 lead by halftime. However, the Latin Americans stormed back into the series with a 9-3 run after the side switch to take the 13-11 win in game two and force the series to a do-or-die game three.

Game three in Split ended up being the same story as game two. Sentinels once again dominated the first half with a 8-4 lead before KRÜ blitzed them with another 9-3 run after the side switch, handing the Latin American squad the 2-1 series victory and sending the Masters Reykjavík champions packing.

With their loss, Sentinels bow out of VALORANT Champions in 9th-12th place and with US$20,000 in consolation. Meanwhile, KRÜ are among the eight teams that qualified for the Playoffs and are guaranteed at least a Top 8 finish and US$40,000 in winnings.

VALORANT Champions gathered the 16 best VALORANT teams from around the world to compete for the lion's share of a US$1 million prize pool and the chance to become the first-ever VALORANT world champions. The tournament's Group Stage will conclude on 8 December with the Playoffs taking place from 9 to 12 December.

For everything you need to know about VALORANT Champions 2021, check here.

KRÜ Esports VALORANT roster:

• Nicolas "Klaus" Ferrari

• Roberto "Mazino" Rivas

• Juan Pablo "NagZ" Lopez

• Joaquin "delz1k" Espinoza

• Angelo "keznit" Mori

Sentinels VALORANT roster:

• Shahzeb "ShahZaM" Khan

• Hunter "SicK" Mims

• Michael "dapr" Gulino

• Jared "zombs" Gitlin

• Tyson "TenZ" Ngo

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