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Eternal Fire have secured a spot in the semi-finals of ESL Pro League Season 20 after an impressive 2-1 (16-14, 5-13, 22-20) victory over world No. 1, Team Vitality, halting the IEM Cologne champions’ 11-match win streak.
Eternal Fire’s win marks the first loss Vitality has faced in two months, a result that came after intense battles on Anubis, Nuke, and Inferno.
The Turkish squad led by Özgür “woxic” Eker stunned the Counter-Strike community by eliminating the top-ranked team, defying expectations.
🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷 @eternalfiregg DEFEAT @TeamVitalityCS TO REACH THE SEMIFINALS AT #ESLProLeague S20 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷
16-14 Anubis
5-13 Nuke
22-20 Inferno pic.twitter.com/mfqiZuHFxh— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 19, 2024
Despite trailing in key moments, Eternal Fire clawed back in critical rounds, with Ali “Wicadia” Yalçın pulling off a 1v2 clutch on Anubis, allowing his team to take the map in overtime.
Vitality responded by dominating Nuke with a flawless 6-0 run in the second half, but they couldn’t maintain control on Inferno.
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut’s 1v4 clutch offered a glimmer of hope, but Eternal Fire’s resilience saw them close the series in triple overtime.
Eternal Fire’s triumph sets up a semi-final showdown against MIBR, who earlier cruised past M80 with a 2-0 win (13-10, 13-8).
MIBR entered the quarter-finals full of confidence after defeating Heroic 2-1 in the previous round.
.@MIBR defeat @M80gg with a clean 2-0 to reach the top 4 at #ESLProLeague Season 20
13-10 Anubis
13-8 Ancient pic.twitter.com/a8nFMHuCgp— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 19, 2024
Led by André “drop” Abreu, the Brazilian side dominated the American team with strong pistol rounds and early terrorist-side gun control.
Rafael “saffee” Costa shone on Anubis with a 28-2 K/D, while Felipe “insani” Yuji took over on Ancient, showcasing their ability to shut down any chance of a comeback from M80.
The semi-finals promise high-stakes matchups, with both Eternal Fire and MIBR riding momentum and hoping to secure a spot in the finals.
Saturday’s quarter-final matches
- Natus Vincere (-120.48) vs Team Spirit (-120.48) @ 4:15pm CEST
- G2 Esports (-188.68) vs Team Liquid (+137) @ 7:30pm CEST
