ESL Pro League S18: Fnatic and FaZe Clan stay in the Upper Bracket of Group C

The emotions of the ESL Pro League S18 continue, and, with the resumption of the tournament with the start of Group C, all the spotlights are on InterContinental Malta to watch the best CS:GO teams in the world, fight in what, without a doubt, maybe the last official event of the game.

The two matches responsible for closing the first day of Group C left us with excellent victories for FaZe Clan and Fnatic against 9z Team and Imperial Esports, respectively.

There is no doubt that all the series were intense and exciting. However, FaZe Clan was the one who had it a little easier, as they dominated the South American squad at ease. On the other hand, Fnatic had to fight tooth and nail against Imperial to pull out a complicated 2-1 victory.

Let’s see how the first day of ESL Pro League S18 Group C actions ended.

Fnatic beat Imperial 2-1

There is no doubt that the match between Fnatic and Imperial was the one that took all the spotlight on this first day, as both teams have a great level of play and an excellent roster of players. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the series did not disappoint, as both teams showed their full potential and, after 3 maps, Fnatic took the victory by 2-1.

It all started on Overpass, Imperial Esports’ map pick, where Fnatic surprisingly stepped up for an excellent 16-11 victory. Imperial could not overcome Fnatic’s defense in the first half, and they fell with a partial score of 4-11. However, with the change of sides, the Brazilian team woke up and got 11-15 on the scoreboard, but it was too late, as Fnatic managed to take the victory by 16-11.

Then, the teams moved to Anubis, Fnatic’s map pick, where we enjoyed a truly spectacular match with an impressive level of play from both teams. Imperial started strong on their T-side and got a partial victory by 9-6. However, Fnatic started to react even before the end of the first half, as the team won the last four rounds on their TC side, and then, switching sides, they won the first 6 to take a 12-9 lead on the scoreboard. Finally, Imperial struck back by winning 7 of the next 8 rounds to take the 16-13 victory.

Nuke

In Nuke’s third and last map, we enjoyed an intense and exciting match that was defined through several overtimes. Fnatic struck the first blow in the first half by taking the partial victory by 9-6. Then, at the change of sides, Imperial woke up, and with a 9-6 also on their CT side, they evened the map by 15-15. Finally, after 10 rounds in Overtime, Fnatic took the victory by 22-18.

.@FNATIC overcome @imperialesports in their opening match of #ESLProLeague Group C 2-1!

16-11 Overpass
13-16 Anubis
22-18 Nuke pic.twitter.com/QjatpSquPI

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 13, 2023

FaZe Clan destroy 9z Team

The other match of this Group C left us with a crushing victory of FaZe Clan over the 9z Team by 2-0. Although the first map of the series was very fair and balanced, the FaZe Clan guys were in charge of nullifying all the possibilities of the South Americans in the second map.

It all started on Nuke, the 9z Team’s map pick, where we had a back-and-forth match throughout. In the first half, FaZe Clan showed a great defensive level to take a solid 10-5 partial victory on their CT side. However, the South American squad did not stay with it, as they woke up and started to get closer and closer on the scoreboard until they were up 14-15. Finally, FaZe won the last round to start this EPL S18 on the right foot.

Then, the teams moved to Inferno for the second map of the series, where things changed radically for both squads. FaZe started the map with a crushing and devastating partial victory on their T-side with a score of 14-1, which undoubtedly sentenced the map. Finally, after four rounds at the change of sides, FaZe took the victory by 16-3 and thus remained in the Upper Bracket of Group C of the ESL Pro League S18.

.@FaZeClan dismantle @9zTeam on the second map to win their #ESLProLeague S18 opening game 2-0

16-14 Nuke
16-3 Inferno pic.twitter.com/59xjcgvX8c

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 13, 2023

Header: ESL