Astralis defeat FURIA to become the final ESL Pro League S23 playoff team

Astralis secured a confident 2–1 victory over FURIA in the decisive ESL Pro League S23 Stage 2 match, claiming the final spot in the tournament playoffs. The Danish squad dominated on Nuke and Inferno, while the Brazilians were only able to respond with a win on Dust2.

Map veto:

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

The match started on Nuke, Astralis’ map pick. The Danish side began on the T side and completely controlled the map, closing the first half with a dominant 10:2 lead. Although FURIA attempted to mount a comeback, Astralis confidently finished the map with a 13:4 victory.

The first half of Dust2 was much more competitive, with both teams showing their strengths and ending the half 6:6. The Brazilian side then took control on the CT side, conceding only three rounds and winning the map 13:9, tying the series 1–1.

On the decider Inferno, FURIA struggled to find their game. In the first half, the Brazilian team had major difficulties on the T side against Astralis and managed to win only three rounds. After the side switch, Astralis continued their dominance on the T side and comfortably closed out the map 13:4.

Match MVP

The best player of the match was Staehr, who finished the series with 83.2 ADR and a 1.38 rating, playing a key role in Astralis’ victory.

Despite entering the match as favorites, FURIA failed to secure the win in this decisive series and finished the tournament in 9–11th place. Meanwhile, Astralis became the final team to advance to the playoffs. ESL Pro League S23 Stage 2 takes place from March 6 to March 10, where 16 teams compete for playoff spots. The remaining eight teams will share a $185,000 prize pool.