ESL, a leading tournament organizer, has partnered with the international brand 1xBet to host two prestigious Tier-1 CS2 tournament series: ESL Pro League and Intel Extreme Masters. With a staggering $1,000,000 prize purse up for grabs at the ESL Grand Slam, the world’s top teams fervently compete in these renowned tournaments.
Quarterfinals
Seven out of eight teams invited to the second stage of the group tournament advanced to the ESL Pro League Season 21 playoffs, the sole exception being Team Falcons, which fell short against Eternal Fire in a decisive match.
The Turkish team could not ride the momentum, getting eliminated by Team Spirit in the quarterfinals (2-1). In another quarterfinal, MOUZ triumphed over G2 Esports (2-1), while Team Vitality secured a commanding victory against Team Liquid (2-0).
A significant celebration for Mongolian esports fans erupted during the match between The MongolZ and NAVI. Ranked third in the world, The MongolZ faced the ninth-ranked NAVI, with many betting platforms favoring the more seasoned team.
The match started on Mirage, where NAVI built an early 4-0 lead, showcasing their confidence. However, an exceptional performance by Sodbayar “Techno4K” Munkhbold, who scored 22 kills, allowed The MongolZ to stage a comeback. The first half concluded 7-5 in favor of The MongolZ, and in the second half, NAVI could only secure one additional round, resulting in a 13-6 defeat.
On the second map, Ancient, NAVI initially won the pistol round but quickly faltered, allowing The MongolZ—also an affiliate of 1xBet—to dominate the first half (9-3) and finish the map with a score of 13-6. The young star Ayush “mzinho” Batbold delivered an outstanding performance with 23 kills and just 10 deaths, achieving an impressive 1.97 rating, enabling the Mongolian team to pull off a stunning upset by eliminating the reigning ESL Pro League Season champions.
Semifinals
The semifinals showcased intense competition, both ending with a 2-1 score. MOUZ, after a strong effort, claimed their map choice, Nuke (16-4), but lost on Team Spirit’s pick, Dust2 (7-13), ultimately winning on the decider, Ancient (13-10).
In the second semifinal, favorites Team Vitality faced The MongolZ. The French squad won Anubis comfortably (13-4), but The MongolZ pushed back on Nuke, winning six consecutive rounds at the start and forcing overtime, where they emerged victorious 16-14.
Unfortunately for local supporters, The MongolZ struggled on Inferno, suffering a 13-2 defeat, with Shahar “flameZ” Shushan leading the charge for Team Vitality with an impressive K/D of 22/6 and a remarkable rating of 2.37!
Final
By the time of the finals, Team Vitality’s dominance was evident, making it clear that MOUZ faced an uphill battle. The final match concluded swiftly after three maps: Dust2 (13-9), Nuke (13-4), and Inferno (13-5). Each game followed a similar narrative, with Team Vitality taking command in the first half (9-3) before sealing the victory efficiently.
With their triumph at ESL Pro League Season 21, Team Vitality claimed a prestigious title, $250,000 in prize money, and ascended to the top of the global Valve rankings, previously dominated by Team Spirit. Furthermore, their star sniper, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, notched his 22nd MVP title at major tournaments, breaking the previous record of Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev.
The next major challenge for The MongolZ will be the BLAST Open Spring 2025, scheduled from March 19-30. Be sure to rally behind your local heroes and support them in their quest for victory!
