Cloud9 and 9INE are the first eliminated from Group D of ESL Pro League S18

Group D of the ESL Pro League S18 is very close to the end, and only 3 teams are still alive to fight for the last place in the tournament playoffs. However, we have a big surprise in the group: one of the favorites, Cloud9, was eliminated from the tournament after losing 0-2 against Eternal Fire.

Undoubtedly, this was not expected by anyone on the scene and much less in Group D, as they were called to be protagonists and get the qualification comfortably. In addition, the fact that they had a strong and fearsome lineup made us think that this team would destroy all their rivals. However, the Turkish squad denied them the possibility of fighting for the last playoff spot.

On the other hand, 9INE fought until the end against Lynn Vision, but the Polish team said goodbye to the ESL Pro League without winning a match.

Let’s see what happened in the first matches of the ESL Pro League S18 Group D Lower Bracket.

Eternal Fire apply a clean sweep against Cloud9

While we were expecting an intense and exciting match, the opposite happened, as Eternal Fire proved that teamwork does much more than a super lineup of players. As a result, the Turks crushed Cloud9 2-0 to stay alive in the Group D Lower Bracket.

The series started in Vertigo, Eternal Fire’s map pick, where we witnessed a real beating from the Turkish squad. Eternal Fire gave a small defensive lesson in the first half to take a solid 10-5 partial victory. Finally, after 7 rounds in the second half, the Turks took a resounding 16-6 victory to start the series on the right foot.

Next, the teams moved to Overpass, Cloud9’s map pick, where we had a give-and-take match with many spectacular rounds. In the first half, Eternal Fire pulled out all the stops and kept up a great pace as they took a 9-6 partial win on their CT Side. However, at the change of sides, Cloud9 started to wake up and managed to even the score 14-14. Finally, Eternal Fire overcame Cloud9’s defense in the last two rounds to take the 16-14 victory and eliminate C9 from the tournament.

.@eternalfiregg HAVE DONE IT! 🇹🇷

They take revenge, and defeat @C9CSGO 2-0 in the Last Chance Bracket of Group D

16-6 Vertigo
16-14 Overpass#ESLProLeague pic.twitter.com/V3b0gbPuJX

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 23, 2023

Lynn Vision pulls off an upset by taking a 2-1 win over 9INE

Lynn Vision’s Chinese side Lynn Vision pulled off a major upset in a series that was predicted to be a comfortable win for 9INE. However, the Chinese squad showed a high level of play, fought to the end, and took the 2-1 victory.

It all started at Anubis, Lynn Vision’s map pick, where, surprisingly, the Poles could not do much to overcome the Chinese. In the first half, Lynn Vision had Lizhi “Starry” Ye at her best to take a convincing 11-4 partial victory. Then, at the change of sides, the Poles tried to wake up by winning 6 rounds, but this was not enough, and they fell by 10-16.

Then, on the second map, Vertigo, the Poles reacted and started winning rounds to come back in the series. In the first half, 9INE took a partial victory by 9-6, giving them the confidence to come back in the series. Finally, at the change of sides, 9INE’s defense was really good, and they got an excellent victory by 16-10.

The third and last map, Overpass, was full of emotions from start to finish and even had to be defined in several Overtime rounds. In the first half, 9INE displayed a good defense to win by 8-7. Then, at the change of sides, the Chinese hit back similarly and managed to equalize the map by 15-15. Finally, after several rounds in OT, Lynn Vision took an excellent 22-20 win to stay alive in the tournament and send 9INE home.

.@Lynnvision_ close it out after Double OT on the final map against @9INEGG to avoid elimination at #ESLProLeague S18!!!! 👏

16-10 Anubis
10-16 Vertigo
22-20 Overpass pic.twitter.com/NyzQ88H5FY

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 23, 2023

Header: ESL