Russian and Ukrainian gamers clinch top prize
Esports stars Team Spirit have won the coveted PGL Dota 2 Arlington Major title in Texas, marking another success for the group comprised of Russian and Ukrainian gamers.
Team Spirit headed into Sunday’s grand final against PSG.LGD as the underdogs, having been beaten by their Chinese rivals earlier in the tournament.
However, Team Spirit came out on top when it mattered, delivering a 3-1 win against a team who are linked with French football giants Paris Saint-Germain.
The success handed Team Spirit $200,000 out of the total $500,000 pot on offer at the US event.
We are your PGL #ArlingtonMajor 2022 CHAMPIONS.Thanks for cheering, see you at The International 2022 ✌🏻#SpiritDota#Dota2pic.twitter.com/75Fuu0Jss7
— Team Spirit (@Team__Spirit) August 15, 2022
The best team in the world. The @1xBet_Esports buff is real, congratulations @Team__Spirit 🍾 pic.twitter.com/Lj5AIS8jtc
— OG (@OGesports) August 15, 2022
It also marked another big triumph for Team Spirit in Dota 2 competitions after they won The International 10 showpiece last October – again with victory over PSG.LGD in the final, and on that occasion claiming a mammoth $18.2 million in prize money.
Team Spirit is traditionally a Russian-based team, but opened an office in Belgrade back in March following the onset of the conflict in Ukraine.
The team which claimed success in Arlington was comprised of Russian gamers Alexander ‘TORONTOTOKYO’ Khertek, Magomed ‘Collapse’ Khalilov, Yaroslav ‘Miposhka’ Naidenov, and Ukrainians Ilya ‘Yatoro’ Mulyarchuk and Miroslav ‘Mira’ Kolpakov.
After their victory, Team Spirit will look to defend their title at The International 11, which is set for October in Singapore.
