The third day of ESL Pro League Season 21 Stage 2 brought high-stakes matchups, with two teams securing playoff spots and two others exiting the competition. Spirit and Vitality went undefeated at 3-0, guaranteeing their places in the next phase, while TYLOO and MIBR saw their tournament journeys come to an end.
G2 had little trouble handling SAW in the 1-1 pool, led by standout performances from Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa, and Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko. The young Russian prodigy delivered the play of the day, pulling off a stunning Scout ace that left spectators in awe. Meanwhile, TYLOO’s tournament run ended in heartbreak. The Chinese squad mounted an incredible comeback on Ancient against GamerLegion, turning a massive deficit into a 15-12 lead, only to let victory slip away in double overtime. Their misfortune continued on Inferno, where they pushed the game to triple overtime before ultimately falling short, marking a devastating end to their Pro League campaign.
Two highly-ranked teams, Falcons and Eternal Fire, now find themselves on the brink of elimination. Falcons arrived in Sweden riding high after a runner-up finish at PGL Cluj-Napoca, signaling a resurgence for the squad following a disappointing season. They initially maintained momentum with a 2-1 victory over Liquid, grinding out two overtime map wins. However, back-to-back losses to MOUZ and 3DMAX have left them in a precarious position. Their crushing 13-2 defeat on Dust2 against the French squad raised concerns about their ability to recover, making their next match a crucial test of resilience.
Eternal Fire find themselves in the same predicament. They opened their tournament with a loss to 3DMAX and are now facing potential elimination after a close-fought series against Liquid. The Turkish team displayed determination, capitalizing on Liquid’s errors to erase early deficits of 2-9 on Inferno and 4-10 on Train. Despite forcing double overtime on Train, they couldn’t complete the comeback, leaving them at 1-2 and needing a victory to stay in the competition.
Liquid’s performance on Train was their first appearance on the map, with Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak excelling on the defensive half to build an 8-4 lead. However, their T side struggled to maintain momentum, forcing Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken to step up in overtime to secure the win. Natus Vincere also debuted on Train, but their defensive setup proved vulnerable against paiN. The Copenhagen Major champions were saved by Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov’s exceptional showing, as he posted a 31-18 K-D with 11 multi-kills and a 1.49 rating, propelling NAVI to a narrow 16-14 victory before dominating Mirage to close the series.
With the fourth day of Stage 2 approaching, the pressure is mounting for Falcons and Eternal Fire, who must now fight to keep their Pro League hopes alive.
