Team Liquid surprise with 2-1 win over Cloud9 in ESL Pro League S18 Group D

The actions of Group D continue in the ESL Pro League S18, and we are much closer to knowing the teams that will join Complexity Gaming and G2 Esports as the qualifiers for the playoffs of this tournament.

Undoubtedly, all teams are giving their all to get good results in this tournament, as this could undeniably be the last tournament in the CS:GO era. As a result, all the big teams will want to say goodbye to our beloved CS:GO with a win.

However, Team Liquid continues to surprise in this tournament, and they managed a remarkable 2-1 victory over Cloud9 to be just one step away from qualifying for the ESL Pro League S19 playoffs. On the other hand, even though it is not over yet, it can be considered a disappointment for Cloud9’s super team since everyone expected them to be the second classified along with G2 Esports.

Let’s see what happened in the Team Liquid and Cloud9 match in Group D of the ESL Pro League S18.

Team Liquid hit the table, sending Cloud9 to the Lower Bracket of Group D

We all expected a comfortable win for Cloud9 in this series, as it’s no secret to anyone that they are the scariest lineup in the CS:GO competitive scene right now. However, Team Liquid proved that they can beat any team by playing well and with excellent coordination.

The Team Liquid and Cloud9 series took place on Ancient, Inferno, and Mirage.

Ancient

The series began in Ancient, Team Liquid’s map pick, where we started to see a small quality sample from Team Liquid from the very first half, as they managed to take a tight 8-7 victory in their T Side. Finally, at the change of sides, Liquid’s defense was spectacular, and after 18 rounds (8-4 in the partial score), they managed to take the victory by 16-11.

Ancient goes the way of @TeamLiquidCS, they close it out 16-11 to open up the series!@C9CSGO‘s pick of Inferno is coming up next 🔥#ESLProLeague pic.twitter.com/SJsxKjllWV

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 22, 2023

Inferno

On the second map, Inferno, Cloud9 enforced their map pick and woke up to take a tight 16-14 win.

In the first half, Liquid, as in the first map, managed to take an 8-7 victory on their CT Side. Then, at the change of sides, Liquid continued their great pace during the first rounds and even managed to be 12-10 ahead on the scoreboard. However, C9 woke up to strike back, winning 6 of the last 8 rounds to take the 16-14 victory.

We’re in need of a third map! 🙌@C9CSGO pick up Inferno 16-14 over @TeamLiquidCS, tying the series. The decider is Mirage, coming right up!#ESLProLeague pic.twitter. com/DHmG2RT2gg

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 22, 2023

Mirage

Finally, the teams moved to Mirage, the Decider Map, where we enjoyed an intense first half for the third consecutive map that ended with a score of 8-7, but this time, favorable to Cloud9.

However, Team Liquid’s CT Side held up as well as in the rest of the series, and the second half, they managed to avoid C9’s attacks to take the victory by 16-12. As a result, Team Liquid will play for the third ticket to the Group D playoffs against Virtus.pro, while Cloud9 will have to survive in the Lower Bracket to fight for the last spot.

.@TeamLiquidCS push @C9CSGO down to the Last Chance Bracket after defeating them 2-1!

16-11 Ancient
14-16 Inferno
16-12 Mirage#ESLProLeague pic.twitter.com/u5ST5V7PI3

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 22, 2023

Header: ESL