HEROIC’s run at ESL Pro League S21 has come to an end, as Nemiga secured a hard-fought victory, eliminating them from the competition. The European squad managed just a single win throughout the event’s first stage, falling to SAW, 3DMAX, and finally Nemiga in the 1-2 pool.

Aliaksandr “1eeR” Nahorny had some playful words after the victory, joking that there was room for only one Belarusian player at EPL, referring to his former teammate Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich. Reflecting on the match, he acknowledged that facing tN1R was bound to be a challenge, given their past experience playing together.

The series stretched across three maps, starting with Nemiga’s Dust2 pick, which went into overtime before closing out 16-14. HEROIC responded convincingly on Mirage, where they dominated with a 13-6 scoreline, before the decider on Train ended in a tight 13-11 finish in favor of Nemiga.

On Dust2, the map’s AWP-friendly nature played perfectly into the hands of Beksultan “khaN” Ospan, who racked up 29 kills and 90 ADR, finishing with a 1.51 rating. In contrast, Álvaro “SunPayus” García struggled to find his rhythm early on, which contributed to HEROIC’s narrow defeat.

HEROIC bounced back emphatically on Mirage, with tN1R turning things around after a rough opening map, delivering 21 kills in just 19 rounds and achieving a 1.74 rating. SunPayus also found his footing, adding 20 kills to help HEROIC equalize the series at 1-1.

The final battle on Train proved decisive. Nemiga’s seven-round haul on the T-side set them up well for the closing stretch, and they successfully held off HEROIC’s last attempt at an A-site push to clinch the 13-11 victory in regulation.

HEROIC’s struggles on Train throughout the event were a major factor in their elimination. The team played the map three times in Sweden, losing it on each occasion, making it a clear weak link in their campaign.

With this 1-3 exit, HEROIC’s tournament run is over, while Nemiga continues their battle for survival. After early defeats to MIBR and NRG, they have bounced back with wins over Mindfreak and HEROIC, earning themselves a place among the final six teams still fighting in the Stage 1 decider matches.