paiN’s journey at ESL Pro League Season 21 has come to an end after a decisive 2-0 defeat against Eternal Fire in the 1-2 elimination pool of Stage 2. The Brazilian squad exits the tournament with a disappointing 1-3 record in this stage, following previous losses to Natus Vincere and G2. Meanwhile, Eternal Fire have managed to stay alive and now have one last opportunity to secure a playoff spot, despite earlier setbacks against 3DMAX and Liquid.
This match marked a strong comeback for the Turkish team, which had struggled to replicate their promising start from BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals. Guided by Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli’s strategic playcalling, Eternal Fire took firm control of the series. Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş was the standout performer on Nuke, while Samet “jottAAA” Köklü delivered an outstanding showing on Inferno, helping his team close out the match in dominant fashion.
The opening map, Nuke, started with paiN gaining an early 5-1 lead, capitalizing on their pistol round victory. However, the momentum quickly shifted as Eternal Fire responded with scrappy round trades to secure five rounds before halftime. Their offense proved unstoppable in the second half, repeatedly exploiting João “snow” Vinicius on A site to string together eight consecutive rounds and wrap up the map convincingly.
Inferno saw an even more dominant display from Eternal Fire. paiN’s defensive setup crumbled under relentless pressure, with jottAAA leading the charge with a 14-4 K-D in the first half. A clutch play from MAJ3R early in the second half secured Eternal Fire’s advantage, prompting XANTARES to bid farewell to their Brazilian opponents as they closed the series in emphatic fashion.
For paiN, this marks a frustrating end to their campaign in Sweden. Despite a strong showing at PGL Cluj-Napoca in February, where they reached a Big Event arena playoff for the first time, their performance at ESL Pro League exposed their inconsistency at the highest level. They barely scraped through Stage 1 after losses to M80 and FlyQuest, needing hard-fought victories against Nemiga and Lynn Vision to advance. However, their struggles against elite opposition in Stage 2 revealed gaps in their ability to compete consistently.
Lucas “nqz” Soares admitted that the team had its chances but repeatedly made costly mistakes at critical moments. Reflecting on their tournament run, he acknowledged the disappointment but emphasized that these tough losses provide valuable experience. While he recognized that paiN have the potential to challenge top teams, he pointed out that small errors and inconsistency continue to hold them back from making a breakthrough.
The Brazilian AWPer dismissed the idea that tactical shortcomings were the primary issue, instead pointing to individual underperformance as the key reason for their struggles in Sweden. Looking ahead, paiN will need to address their weaknesses and work on maintaining consistency if they want to compete at the highest level moving forward.
