As the No. 1 candidate for the AIC Championship 2023, Saigon Phantom started not as expected when losing Valencia CF Esports in the opening match. In the second round, “the ghosts of Saigon” encountered the Thai champion Talon, also a potential candidate for the throne in the talent of the entire group stage.
In game 1, SGP brought out the squad capable of pressing early but the early “bankruptcy” plan when in the first combat phase, Erez's Elsu took the “Quad Kill”. From here, the game gradually drifted out of SGP's control. In an effort to rush to rob the tyrant Caesar, SGP failed to be scanned by 4 people. Jiro alone could not defend the house, then also lay down, accepted to let TLN pass 1-0 before the 16th minute.
By game 2, SGP offers a team that takes a lot of time to increase strength with Yan, Celica and Murad while TLN is too strong at the first stage thanks to the pair of Valhein – Helen, Iggy, Nakroth and Florentino. The unreasonable choice of choice caused SGP to completely lose control over breathing pressure from TLN.
When Bang's Yan had just reached level 12, SGP was helpless to look at TLN to create a “airport” in the 11th minute. The last efforts of SGP only made them wipe out, while TLN with “mobile altar” Helen still intact 5 people to end the game before the 12th minute without losing any head and the defeat ratio of 14-4.
In the end, Saigon Phantom empty-handed with a score of 0-2. The second consecutive defeat really pushed “the ghosts of Saigon” into a difficult position when they could not receive another failure. Otherwise, the Vietnamese champion may be eliminated right from the AIC group stage 2023.
