9z Team secured final spot in Group C for ESL Pro League S18 playoffs

Group C of the ESL Pro League S18 is history, and after a week full of action and excitement, we already know the 4 qualifiers for the playoffs. Likewise, on the last day of the competition, we witnessed the excellent victories of the 9z Team against Apeks and 5yclone to seal their ticket to the tournament playoffs.

There is no doubt that this is a great victory for South American Counter-Strike, as 9z had to fight against great teams like M80 and Apeks to survive in the Lower Bracket. Similarly, it is also fair to note that the level and performance of the team came from less to more since, after losing their first two games in this Group Stage, they managed to pull themselves together in the Lower Bracket to win 3 consecutive series and take the last place in the playoffs granted by this Group C.

Now, let’s look at 9z Team’s path on this last day of competition in Group C of the ESL Pro League S18.

9z Team surprise by crushing Apeks

Apeks, one of the squads that had caused a sensation during the 2023 season in the CS:GO competitive scene, is left without qualifying for the playoffs after a tough defeat against the South American squad by 0-2. There is no doubt that we all expected a close series and a tendency for Apeks to win. However, the 9z boys were at their best possible level of play and came away with the 2-0 victory.

It all started at Overpass, the 9z map pick, where they started to show their excellent pace of play with a great partial victory in the first half by 10-5. Then, at the change of sides, the South American defense did its job, and, after 9 rounds, they managed to take the victory by 16-8.

Finally, the teams moved to Mirage, a map we expected to be more balanced. However, 9z maintained their excellent level of play and, in the first half, managed to take a solid 13-2 partial victory. Then, at the change of sides, the Apeks guys didn’t have much to do, as coming back from this score is usually really complicated, and they ended up conceding with a score of 9-16.

The South Americans come out on top! @9zTeam takes down @apeksgg 2-0 in the Last Chance Bracket 💥

16-8 Overpass
16-9 Mirage

9z will play again later today versus 5yclone for the final #ESLProLeague S18 Playoff Spot 👀 pic.twitter.com/EGiAMik3EC

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 17, 2023

9z seal playoff ticket with 2-1 win over 5yclone

After the win against Apeks, 9z Team had to face 5yclone, the Chinese squad causing many surprises in this ESL Pro League S18 Group Stage. However, they also managed to show a great level, but this time, they had to come from behind after losing the first map to come back in the series.

It all started in Overpass, the 9z map pick, where, unlike in the series against Apeks, the South American squad came up against an impenetrable defense by the Chinese, who took the partial victory in the first half by 12-3. Then, at the change of sides, 5yclone completed the victory with an excellent score of 16-6.

However, the series was beginning, as the South Americans quickly turned the tables on the second map, Inferno, 5yclone’s map pick. In the first half, the Chinese squad managed a tight 8-7 victory, which complicated things a bit for the South Americans. However, 9z Team had David “dav1deuS” Tapia Maldonado and Santino “try” Rigal as the main scorers to win 9 consecutive rounds and take the victory by 16-8.

Finally, everything was defined in Nuke, where 9z started very well by taking a partial victory by 10-5 in their T Side. Then, at the change of sides, the Chinese offense could not find a way to overcome the 9z defense, and, after only 7 rounds, the South Americans took an excellent victory by 16-6.

The South Americans pull off the REVERSE SWEEP 💥@9zTeam defeats 5yclone 2-1 in the last match of Group C at #ESLProLeague S18!

6-16 Overpass
16-8 Inferno
16-6 Nuke pic.twitter.com/YLDtQsK4fI

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 17, 2023

Header: ESL