The biggest shock was the elimination of back-to-back Pro League champions, MOUZ, who crashed out during the group stage. Their 2-0 defeat to Complexity sealed their fate, following previous losses to Imperial and Complexity earlier in the group stage.
Complexity also played a key role in knocking out Astralis, defeating the Danish team 2-1. On the deciding map, Nuke, Astralis staged a comeback to force the match into overtime, but narrowly lost 16-14. Astralis’ early exit was less of a surprise, given their struggles throughout the tournament in Malta. In-game leader Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz took to Twitter to accept responsibility for their poor performance during the initial group stage.
“Not the best time to be on SoMe, but I want to give some insight to the fans. Really disappointed with myself these last 2 games, not only as the awp but also IGLing. Doing my best to bounce back, I assure you,” tweeted Reedtz after Astralis suffered two consecutive defeats.
Flawless M80 Secure Quarter-Finals Spot
The biggest surprise of the tournament so far has come from the American/German lineup, M80. The NA-based team pulled off stunning 2-0 victories against Complexity, Fnatic, and Imperial, securing a direct spot in the Quarter-Finals of ESL Pro League. M80, considered one of the biggest underdogs going into the event, has delivered a standout performance in what has been a breakthrough tournament for the roster.
You can see the entire playoff schedule down below:
Tuesday: 17th of September: (Times in CET)
13.00: Virtus.pro – HEROIC
13.00: BIG – The MongolZ
16.15: Spirit – FURIA
19.30: FaZe – Complexity
Wednesday: 18th of September
13.00: Eternal Fire – BIG/The MongolZ
13.00: MIBR – Virtus.pro/HEROIC
16.15: Imperial – Spirit/FURIA
19.30: Liquid – FaZe/Complexity
Thursday: 19th of September
16.15: M80 – TBD
19.30: Vitality – TBD
Friday: 20th of September
16.15: Natus Vincere – TBD
19.30: G2 – TBD
Saturday: 21st of September
16.15: Semi-Final #1
19.30: Semi-Final #2
Sunday: 22nd of September
17.00: Grand Final
