FURIA Triumphs Over Ninjas in Pyjamas, Securing Lower-Bracket Final Spot at ESL Pro League S18
Bogdan LashchenkoFURIA outperformed Ninjas in Pyjamas on two maps, even though Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato had a relatively subdued performance. Their victory in the ESL Pro League S18 lower-bracket secured them a spot in the final. FURIA's Brazilian lineup clinched both Mirage (16-12) and Nuke (16-12), bringing them just one win away from reaching the playoffs.
Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo and his teammates are now set to face Astralis in the lower-bracket final, while Ninjas in Pyjamas will take on GamerLegion in the Last Chance Stage.
Throughout the Maltese tournament, FURIA demonstrated steady improvement. They faced an initial setback with a 0-2 loss to Movistar Riders but quickly rebounded by defeating Grayhound 2-0 as expected. Going up against Ninjas in Pyjamas posed a tougher challenge than their Australian counterparts, yet the Brazilians remained comfortable throughout the series, even with KSCERATO's relatively quiet performance. Andrei "arT" Piovezan stepped up on Mirage, amassing 29 kills, while Yuri "yuurih" Santos and FalleN topped the scoreboard on Nuke.
FalleN, who joined the post-match broadcast, praised arT's performance, stating, "This guy here, always securing the entry frags, deserves some recognition. Everyone on the team is highly aware of the dynamics within the server. To catch opponents off-guard, you need to be exceptionally creative, and arT consistently brings fresh ideas to the table, which greatly benefits the team".
The series began on Mirage, where the first half was fiercely contested, ending with Ninjas in Pyjamas holding a narrow 8-7 lead. However, FURIA elevated their game, showcasing their offensive prowess by securing nine rounds and ultimately winning 16-12, largely thanks to arT's impressive 1.58 rating.
The action then moved to Nuke, where the first half once again concluded with a tight 8-7 scoreline in favor of Ninjas in Pyjamas. However, FURIA gained the upper hand as soon as they entered a gun round on their CT side. FalleN's sharp AWP plays led the team's resurgence, bringing them to the brink of playoff qualification.
Bogdan Lashchenko – content manager at EgamersWorld.Bogdan has been working at EGamersWorld since 2023. Joining the company, he began fillin the site with information, news and events.