FUT defeat HEROIC 2–1 at ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2

FUT Esports secured a convincing 2–1 victory over HEROIC in a match of ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2. The Turkish squad dominated on Nuke and Mirage, which allowed them to close the series and improve their position in the tournament standings.

Map veto:

1. HEROIC removed Anubis
2. FUT removed Inferno
3. HEROIC picked Nuke
4. FUT picked Ancient
5. HEROIC removed Overpass
6. FUT removed Dust2
7. Mirage was left over

The series began on Nuke, where FUT took control of the game from the very first rounds. Playing on the CT side, they managed to secure 11 rounds in the first half, leaving HEROIC with almost no chance to recover. The second half was short, as FUT comfortably closed the map 13–3.

On Ancient, FUT’s map pick, the Turkish team looked less convincing. Although the first half ended with a narrow 7–5 lead for HEROIC, after the side switch FUT failed to win a single round on the CT side, allowing HEROIC to take the map 13–5.

The deciding map Mirage was largely one-sided. HEROIC managed to win only three rounds on the T side in the first half. After the side switch, FUT continued to apply pressure and eventually closed the map with a 13–3 victory.

Match MVP

The best player of the match was Krabeni, who finished the series with 101.6 ADR and a 1.50 rating, delivering an outstanding performance throughout the match.

It was an important win for the Turkish team, which now moves to a 1–1 record in the group. Meanwhile, HEROIC find themselves in a difficult situation at 0–2, where another loss in their next match would eliminate them from the tournament. ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2 runs from March 6 to March 10, where 16 teams compete for playoff spots, while the remaining eight teams will share $185,000 in prize money.