Keep up with the highlights and lowlights of the second day of ESL Pro League Season 18's quarter-finals here in our live post.

Quarter-finals day 2
— ENCE destroyed Movistar Riders with Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García red-hot against his former team (1.74 rating)
— MOUZ left an individually struggling G2 in the dust

Overview 29/0922:48 MOUZ dominate Inferno to dump G2 out of ESL Pro League 29/0922:28 MOUZ take 9-6 lead into final half of play against G2 29/0921:40 Watch: NiKo's wonderous one-tap 3k earns G2 a decider against MOUZ 29/0921:05 MOUZ recover after poor start, but G2 lead at halftime 29/0920:50 Watch: Jimpphat 4k breathes life into MOUZ's Ancient CT side 29/0920:18 Watch: SPUNJ's expletive-laden rant on G2's Mirage collapse 29/0920:12 m0NESY gets zero second-half kills as MOUZ grind out Mirage win 29/0919:37 MOUZ recover after m0NESY masterclass 29/0919:22 Watch: HooXi AWP clutch keeps G2 rolling 29/0918:55 G2 don't need to catch MOUZ sleeping, they already are 29/0917:25 ENCE breeze past Movistar Riders to reach EPL semi-finals 29/0917:08 Riders recover to 5 at half-time 29/0916:53 Watch: Martinez and mopoz jolt Riders into life 29/0916:43 SunPayus puts Riders to the sword 29/0916:37 No rest for the Riders 29/0916:31 How do you stop an ENCE B pop? 29/0916:21 dycha drops 130 ADR 29/0916:15 ENCE take Riders' map pick with ease 29/0916:04 Watch: NertZ embarasses Riders on Long as ENCE hit 13 29/0915:49 ENCE in control early on 29/0915:32 Watch: dycha opens Overpass with a 4K 29/0915:31 Overpass, Anubis, & Ancient for ENCE vs Riders 29/0915:22 adamS: "It was always my dream to join these guys" 29/0915:05 G2, ENCE kick off their Pro League playoff runs 29/0922:48 By king_dempz MOUZ dominate Inferno to dump G2 out of ESL Pro League

G2 7-16 MOUZ

That was not even close, the Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov-inspired comeback at the end of the first half was but a flash in the pan, as MOUZ romp to a convincing victory.

Ádám "⁠torzsi⁠" Torzsás went big in the first half, David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský stepped up in the second, whilst by contrast G2's individuals struggled to get much done outside of the aforementioned m0NESY.

MOUZ secure a notable upset and continue their stellar run in Malta, whilst G2 exit the final Big Event playoffs in CS:GO history with a disappointing whimper.

Link copied Last comment 29/0922:28 By king_dempz MOUZ take 9-6 lead into final half of play against G2

G2 6-9 MOUZ

Roles were reversed at the start of this Inferno game, as it was MOUZ's turn to build a big lead, and G2's turn to attempt a recovery.

Ádám "⁠torzsi⁠" Torzsás was in sublime form in the early stages, treating Inferno like a playground as he bandied about his AWP. Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov was the man who stepped up to kickstart G2's mini-comeback, finding double entries up banana twice.

One more half left to play, can MOUZ hang on to their lead and clinch the series?

Link copied Last comment 29/0921:40 By king_dempz Watch: NiKo's wonderous one-tap 3k earns G2 a decider against MOUZ

MOUZ won the pistol and converted to kick off their offense, but they seemed to badly lack ideas in the gun rounds, which allowed G2 to march their way to map point.

Kamil "⁠siuhy⁠" Szkaradek opted to continue with their brute-force approach, the team jumping through smokes with reckless abandon, but they somehow managed to scramble back to within one round of forcing overtime.

Step up the best rifler CS:GO has ever seen, Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač. Just look at that beautiful sequence.

Inferno will be needed as a decider to separate these two squads.

Link copied Last comment 29/0921:05 By king_dempz MOUZ recover after poor start, but G2 lead at halftime

G2 9-6 MOUZ

An incredibly poor start to their CT side left MOUZ trailing 2-8, but they recovered somewhat thanks to some slick retakes.

Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov shrugged off his woeful second-half on Mirage to lead the way for G2, and Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač also produced a powerful first-half performance.

Link copied Last comment 29/0920:50 By king_dempz Watch: Jimpphat 4k breathes life into MOUZ's Ancient CT side

G2 6-2 MOUZ

Things were looking dire for MOUZ, they have started Ancient poorly, but Jimi "⁠Jimpphat⁠" Salo's impressive 4k has perhaps granted his team a lifeline.

Link copied Last comment 29/0920:18 By king_dempz Watch: SPUNJ's expletive-laden rant on G2's Mirage collapse

Chad "⁠SPUNJ⁠" Burchill was not impressed by G2's performance on Mirage, and he detailed his thoughts in a rant in the post-game analysis.

Link copied Last comment 29/0920:12 By king_dempz m0NESY gets zero second-half kills as MOUZ grind out Mirage win

G2 13-16 MOUZ

MOUZ managed to complete an impressive recovery from 1-7 down to take their map pick of Mirage.

G2 put some pressure on towards the middle of their offensive effort, but MOUZ stayed resilient and got the job done.

Kamil "⁠siuhy⁠" Szkaradek, Ádám "⁠torzsi⁠" Torzsás and Jimi "⁠Jimpphat⁠" Salo all provided impact to help power their team to victory, but the incredible collapse of Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov might well be the headline individual performance. He had 18 kills by round 12, and then did not find a single kill for the rest of the game.

Link copied Last comment 29/0919:37 By king_dempz MOUZ recover after m0NESY masterclass

G2 8-7 MOUZ

G2 came into Mirage map in red-hot form, battering MOUZ's offense early thanks to some spectacular AWP work from Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov to earn a 7-1 lead.

MOUZ stayed resilient, however, and ground their way back into contention with some strong trading work as they attacked the bombsites.

Link copied Last comment 29/0919:22 By king_dempz Watch: HooXi AWP clutch keeps G2 rolling

G2 7-1 MOUZ

Is Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov even the best AWPer in G2? Yes, but Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen seems to have been taking lessons judging from this sick clutch that has kept his team in the ascendancy.

Link copied Last comment 29/0918:55 By king_dempz G2 don't need to catch MOUZ sleeping, they already are

MOUZ seem to be taking a very relaxed approach ahead of their upcoming game with G2, judging from the player cams...

In other news, Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač took some time out to give an interview on broadcast, and he highlighted the importance of appreciating the historic playoffs his team are a part of, the final Big Event playoffs in CS:GO.

"I think we need to just take a moment and enjoy every round, every single moment that we could experience here, it’s going to be one of the last in CS:GO. I think we are all just very happy to be a part of this event as well, since it’s one of the last ones, so we are all just excited and a bit emotional at the same time."

Link copied Last comment 29/0917:25 By king_dempz ENCE breeze past Movistar Riders to reach EPL semi-finals

ENCE 16-5 Movistar Riders

ENCE have completed a clean 2-0 victory over Movistar Riders, granting Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García bragging rights over his former teammates.

SunPayus was a menace throughout the entire series, racking up a stellar 1.72 rating.

Not much to write home about for Movistar Riders unfortunately, they mustered only seven rounds across two maps and were thoroughly outclassed.

Link copied Last comment 29/0917:08 By NER0cs Riders recover to 5 at half-time

ENCE 10-5 Movistar Riders

More strong play from Antonio "⁠MartinezSa⁠" Martinez has helped Movistar Riders to five rounds, more than double their count on Overpass.

Five rounds seemed a long way away at 0-8, but don't count the Riders out just yet.

Link copied Last comment 29/0916:53 By NER0cs Watch: Martinez and mopoz jolt Riders into life

ENCE 8-2 Movistar Riders

It's a battle of the Spanish snipers, and yet again Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García provides an opener and a multi-kill.

But this time Movistar Riders prevail, thanks to a devastating 3K entry from Antonio "⁠MartinezSa⁠" Martinez on A. It still came down to a 1on2, but Alejandro "⁠mopoz⁠" Fernández-Quejo Cano held strong for the clutch.

Comeback time?

Link copied Last comment 29/0916:43 By NER0cs SunPayus puts Riders to the sword

ENCE 7-0 Movistar Riders

Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García has three openers, five multi-kills, 13 kills, and 0 deaths so far. Missing him, Spain?

Those openers have come from A Main, Middle, and B Dark — he has been absolutely everywhere.

Link copied Last comment 29/0916:37 By NER0cs No rest for the Riders

ENCE 3-0 Movistar Riders

Any hopes of a quick start for Movistar Riders have been swiftly extinguished. They are 3-0 down and are yet to post a kill.

Link copied Last comment 29/0916:31 By NER0cs How do you stop an ENCE B pop?

Chad "⁠SPUNJ⁠" Burchill wanted to show off a layered ENCE B execute on Anubis between maps, with flashes timed to perfection and impeccable pathing.

Except, there was one problem: A rogue test dummy in the form of Harry "⁠JustHarry⁠" Russell. One molotov later, ENCE's entry pack are dead, and we've forgotten why we were here in the first place.

Hopefully, Movistar Riders were watching — judging by that first map, they could use a few tips on how to stop ENCE.

Link copied Last comment 29/0916:21 By NER0cs dycha drops 130 ADR

Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García said that Paweł "⁠dycha⁠" Dycha was playing too much CS2, but is that the secret to success after all?

It seems to have given the Pole a buff in Global Offensive.

Link copied Last comment 29/0916:15 By NER0cs ENCE take Riders' map pick with ease

ENCE 16-2 Movistar Riders

ENCE didn't give the Spaniards a sniff of a comeback, winning the second pistol and both anti-forces to take Overpass without even breaking a sweat.

The cold starts that have plagued favourites this week are nowhere to be seen; ENCE are in cruise control, and have their pick of Anubis next.

Link copied Last comment 29/0916:04 By NER0cs Watch: NertZ embarasses Riders on Long as ENCE hit 13

ENCE 13-2 Movistar Riders

ENCE have shown their class so far — and Movistar Riders are starting to show a bit of inexperience. Take a look at this scrappy 4K from Guy "⁠NertZ⁠" Iluz as the Riders peek him one by one on Long.

The defaults have been shut down, and so have the executes: ENCE close the half with a 13-round haul. Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García and Paweł "⁠dycha⁠" Dycha are both on 18 kills. The Riders have fallen off their horse, somewhat.

Link copied Last comment 29/0915:49 By NER0cs ENCE in control early on

ENCE 6-2 Movistar Riders

ENCE had only allowed the Riders to pick up one round so far, a 10-second hit on A that was at one point a 5v3 in ENCE's favour.

But they have now got their second, and ENCE's bank isn't as healthy as you might expect from a team with a 6-1 lead.

Link copied Last comment 29/0915:32 By NER0cs Watch: dycha opens Overpass with a 4K

ENCE 2-0 Movistar Riders

Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García said in his pre-game interview that Paweł "⁠dycha⁠" Dycha was playing "too much CS2."

Naturally, the Pole responded with a 4K in the opening pistol. 1-0 ENCE.

Link copied Last comment 29/0915:31 By NER0cs Overpass, Anubis, & Ancient for ENCE vs Riders

Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García was coy on broadcast about facing his former team, saying he "hoped" it would be the SunPayus show but not giving much else away.

The two sides have similar strong points in the map pool, but does that favour ENCE or Movistar Riders? Time will tell.

Link copied Last comment 29/0915:22 By NER0cs adamS: "It was always my dream to join these guys"

Adam "⁠adamS⁠" Marian, speaking to ESL pre-game: "It always was my dream to join these guys. The team atmosphere is really good. That's why we're playing so well, we're like a family."

On playing at EPL: "It's like playing on BootCamp. I'm a very chill person, it's fine for me."

Alejandro "⁠mopoz⁠" Fernández-Quejo Cano on adamS: "He's going to be a really good player. He's just focussing on CS, he will have a bright future."

Read more mopoz on ENCE match: "We are going to face an all-time friend" Link copied Last comment 29/0915:05 By NER0cs G2, ENCE kick off their Pro League playoff runs

We're back in Malta, and today it will be ENCE and G2 looking to survive the tests of Movistar Riders and MOUZ in their first playoff match since topping their groups.

Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García faces his former side in Movistar Riders for just the third time after ENCE won both encounters at CCT Central Europe Malta Finals in February. If we're lucky, we'll hear some shouts as the Spaniards get down to some smack talk.

MOUZ will look to continue their impressive run in their toughest test yet against G2. Dorian "⁠xertioN⁠" Berman averages a 1.51 rating in playoffs and Jimi "⁠Jimpphat⁠" Salo is not far behind at 1.41.

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 18
29/09/2023	ENCE15:30 Movistar Riders	Match
29/09/2023	G219:00 MOUZ	Match

Link copied Last comment Jimi 'Jimpphat' Salo Age: 17 Team: MOUZ Rating 1.0: 1.13 Maps played: 410 KPR: 0.74 DPR: 0.61 Harry 'JustHarry' Russell Age: 25 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.40 Maps played: 2 KPR: 0.38 DPR: 0.95 Alejandro 'mopoz' Fernández-Quejo Cano Age: 27 Team: Movistar Riders Rating 1.0: 0.99 Maps played: 1309 KPR: 0.67 DPR: 0.68 David 'frozen' Čerňanský Age: 21 Team: MOUZ Rating 1.0: 1.13 Maps played: 1362 KPR: 0.76 DPR: 0.64 Movistar Riders #27 Alejandro 'alex' MasanetTiago 'JUST' MouraAlejandro 'mopoz' Fernández-Quejo CanoAdam 'adamS' MarianAntonio 'MartinezSa' Martinez Galder 'bladE' Barcena MOUZ #11 David 'frozen' ČerňanskýKamil 'siuhy' SzkaradekÁdám 'torzsi' TorzsásJimi 'Jimpphat' SaloDorian 'xertioN' Berman Dennis 'sycrone' Nielsen Paweł 'dycha' Dycha Age: 26 Team: ENCE Rating 1.0: 1.06 Maps played: 991 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.67 Rasmus 'HooXi' Nielsen Age: 28 Team: G2 Rating 1.0: 0.85 Maps played: 963 KPR: 0.57 DPR: 0.68 ENCE #2 Marco 'Snappi' PfeifferGuy 'NertZ' IluzPavle 'Maden' BoškovićPaweł 'dycha' DychaÁlvaro 'SunPayus' García Eetu 'sAw' Saha Adam 'adamS' Marian Age: 22 Team: Movistar Riders Rating 1.0: 1.00 Maps played: 438 KPR: 0.67 DPR: 0.66 Time is adjusted to your selected timezone Kamil 'siuhy' Szkaradek Age: 21 Team: MOUZ Rating 1.0: 0.99 Maps played: 720 KPR: 0.69 DPR: 0.69 Chad 'SPUNJ' Burchill Age: 34 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.88 Maps played: 167 KPR: 0.62 DPR: 0.73 Antonio 'MartinezSa' Martinez Age: 22 Team: Movistar Riders Rating 1.0: 1.09 Maps played: 197 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.61 Dorian 'xertioN' Berman Age: 19 Team: MOUZ Rating 1.0: 1.03 Maps played: 364 KPR: 0.70 DPR: 0.67 Ádám 'torzsi' Torzsás Age: 21 Team: MOUZ Rating 1.0: 1.14 Maps played: 629 KPR: 0.75 DPR: 0.61 Guy 'NertZ' Iluz Age: 24 Team: ENCE Rating 1.0: 1.10 Maps played: 427 KPR: 0.76 DPR: 0.68 Álvaro 'SunPayus' García Age: 24 Team: ENCE Rating 1.0: 1.12 Maps played: 504 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.59 Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač Age: 26 Team: G2 Rating 1.0: 1.15 Maps played: 1790 KPR: 0.79 DPR: 0.66 Ilya 'm0NESY' Osipov Age: 18 Team: G2 Rating 1.0: 1.18 Maps played: 428 KPR: 0.77 DPR: 0.59 G2 #3 Nikola 'NiKo' KovačNemanja 'huNter-' KovačJustin 'jks' SavageRasmus 'HooXi' NielsenIlya 'm0NESY' Osipov Jan 'Swani' Müller