ESL Pro League Season 11 Europe: Stage 2 Day 2 sets the stage for Grand Final

The second day of the ESL Pro League Season 11 Europe Stage Two featured a trio of hard-fought matchups as the remaining six teams fight for a spot in Sunday’s Grand Final.

Day two of ESL Pro League Season 11 Europe Stage Two presented a trio of intense matchups between the remaining six teams as they compete for their spot in Sunday’s Grand Final. Determining which two teams will face off in Sunday’s Grand Final may be closer than some believed entering Stage Two, with each of Monday’s three matchups requiring a decisive third map.

The action kicked off with FNATIC and Astralis on Dust 2 where a lopsided T-side ultimately led FNATIC to a 13:16 opening map victory. Securing their map selection on Dust 2, it was then Astralis’ turn to win their map selection on Nuke, which they did 16:11 to force the third map, Inferno.

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Things came down to the wire on Inferno between these two teams, with Astralis winning seven of the final nine rounds to keep things interesting down the stretch. In the end, FNATIC came out on top in Round 30 to finish Inferno 14:16 and take the series 2-1. FNATIC has been able to win their first two series of Stage Two, and are in a great position to make an appearance in this weekend’s Grand Final.

The second matchup of the day was expected to be a reasonably swift 2-0 series between the daunting roster of NAVI and an overlooked team in OG, however, those expectations changed when OG secured the opening match on Inferno 7:16. Even the best player in CS:GO couldn’t carry his team to a more modest deficit, as s1mple led his team with a 24-2-17 stat line and the only positive KD differential on his team. NAVI was able to rebound with their pick of Overpass, taking the next point in this series with a 16:12 victory to force the third map of Dust 2.

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NAVI jumped out to an early 11-4 lead at the half with their dominant T-side performance, resembling more of what many believed this match would look like prior to OG winning the opening map. Ultimately, NAVI won their necessary five CT rounds to take Dust 2 in a 16:13 fashion – securing the series 2-1 in the process.

The most anticipated matchup of Monday’s schedule was certainly the showdown between FaZe Clan and mousesports. Where two of the most exciting CS:GO teams were sure to give spectators a close series.

Beginning on Nuke, the matchup quickly favored mousesports after a 2:13 half placed FaZe on the hot seat. Perhaps setting the tone for FaZe Clan’s experience on Nuke was a last-second defusal from mousesports after FaZe vacated the bomb site to search for saving enemy players. This allowed for mousesports to secure the map selection of their opponent in an impressive 4:16 final before the series shifted to their map, Train.

Continuing with the theme of unexpected outcomes, FaZe returned the favor on Train with an impressive performance of their own to take the map 16:9. The set the stage for an exciting third map showdown on Dust 2.

FaZe was off to a strong start on the CT side, exiting the first half with a 9:6 lead. Nevertheless, the momentum stayed with the CT side as the teams switched and mousesports began to run away with it in the second half. Securing eight of the next nine rounds after the half, mousesports were able to close out Dust 2 and take their second series win of Stage Two.

The ESL Pro League Season 11 Europe Stage Two matches continue through Thursday, where the first-place team will automatically secure their spot in Sunday’s Grand Final. The second and third place team will play in a Decider Match on Saturday to determine which team will advance into Sunday’s Final.