Things are heating up on the way to the ESL Pro League Season 16 Playoffs. After five action-packed days, Group A has concluded with wins from Team Vitality, NaVi, and Fnatic. All of them now advance to the EPL Playoffs, where they will meet the other top three squads from each group.
Group A was packed with some sensational upsets and deadly performances. In this way, Vitality has won Natus Vincere for the first time in a LAN event since February 2020. The French organization has risen to the occasion, going unbeaten in the EPL’s Group A with a total of five victories. On the opposite side was the Ukrainian team, with players suffering not only according to live cs go stats but also emotionally. Their ever-consistent s1mple played his worst tournament and only put up a 1.11 rating – his lowest since 2019. Fortunately, there are two weeks before Playoffs, during which the CIS players can practice and prepare better for the next matches.
Below, we will leave you with the main aspects of Group A, including its final matches recap and other highlights in general. Without further ado, let’s get started!
Final Matches: Overview
The final day of the group featured the next three series: Team Vitality vs. Team Spirit, Natus Vincere vs. Ninjas in Pajamas, and Fnatic vs. Endpoint. With the respective victories from Vitality, Fnatic, and Nip, the final Group A maps have concluded. Below, you can find the recap of these matches.
Vitality against Spirit
The last Vitality series saw Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut shine the most in a two-map series against Team Spirit. The French team dominated on Nuke, which was the Spirit’s pick, with ZywOo and his teammate Emil “Magisk” Reif mainly responsible for carrying their team over the line. The leaders from Group A didn’t let the CIS underdogs gather any momentum as anti-terrorists.
In the second game, the bees continued to dominate on Vertigo, with a stellar performance from Lotan “Spinx” Giladi. The Israeli player took control of the map and demolished Spirit’s terrorist side.
NaVi against NiP
The star AWPer s1mple was nowhere in sight in their last best of three matches against ninjas. Even though NiP have lost one map, they brushed the Ukrainian squad aside in the others, posting 2-1 on the scoreboard.
The first game was played on Inferno, and the CIS squad was having issues with their CT side only winning four rounds in total during the first half of the match. And with 11-4 in the favor of NiP, Natus Vincere struggled to find any room to make a comeback from the terrorist side.
The second game was NaVi’s time to shine as they stepped up massively showing great character following the butchery on Inferno. The Natus Vincere’s map pick saw Denis “electronic” Sharipov lead the game, copying NiP’s terrorist tactics from the previous map. However, the CIS giants couldn’t handle their opponent’s attacking strategies on Overpass, causing them to lose the third and decisive map.
Fnatic against Endpoint
Fnatic came out on top in their series against Endpoint, with Dion “FASHR” Derksen carrying his team over the line in a two-map series against the British underdogs. The guys dominated on Endpoint’s map pick, Ancient, 16-8 with an excellent play from the CT side.
The second map was set on Overpass (16-10), which was much more competitive and closer. Ultimately Fnatic was on their heels as anti-terrorists, with the British players only winning two rounds in the second half.
Sensational Upsets and Flawless Performances
The first group of EPL has finished with some sensational upsets and excellent performances from recently changed CS:GO rosters. Despite there being a three-way tie for third place, Natus Vincere advanced to the Playoffs due to their great difference in map wins. That said, the team’s form was shaky throughout the entire five days of action.
NaVi had Three Losses in a Row
The Ukrainian team lost to NiP and Endpoint in the group stage, from which nothing was expected at all. As a result, the ticket was earned not by NaVi, but by third-party circumstances, such as Spirit’s defeat and Fnatic’s victory.
When one loss can be attributed to chance, three defeats in a row should suggest a red flag to the world’s top-ranked team. The last time the CIS team caught such a losing streak was in 2019. Now, the squad is in a serious crisis that has not existed for many years. Fortunately, the players have two weeks to prepare more for the EPL Playoffs.
Fnatic was Impressive across the Board
On the opposite side was Fnatic who showed an impressive form throughout the group stage. Their lone blemish was a loss to Vitality and NaVi 2-1. Aside from that, the underdog squad showed their superior CS:GO play and strategy as they found themselves dominating against NiP, Spirit, and Endpoint. What was thought to be a dark horse, has started to turn some heads as the community awaits their next matches in the Playoffs.
What’s Next?
After the initial battles in Group A, it’s time for the teams in groups B to get on the podium. The second group of the ESL Pro League promises to be no less exciting due to the presence of such strong CS:GO teams as FaZe Clan, G2, BIG, and Outsiders.
It is hard to predict who will come out of the group, especially after a couple of sensations and deadly performances within the first group. By September 11, we will finally know the other top three teams from Group B who join Vitality, NaVi, and NiP in the EPL Playoffs.
