ESL Challenger Rotterdam hits playoffs as Eternal Fire recover from opening loss

Eternal Fire side have recently been a target of criticism following the controversial decision to dispose of the services of Engin “⁠MAJ3R⁠” Küpeli after their inability to qualify for IEM Rio Major, bringing back Yasin “⁠xfl0ud⁠” Koç from the bench and making Ömer “⁠imoRR⁠” Karataş their new in-game leader.

Playing for the first time with their new lineup in Rotterdam, the team came under pressure early following a loss to Movistar Riders in the opening round of Group A. Heading into day two, the Turkish squad were staring down elimination and had to win two consecutive series to make it to playoffs.

Facing off against a big underdog in Nixuh, Ismailcan “⁠XANTARES⁠” Dörtkardeş & co. had to sweat to close out the opening Inferno map in overtime before slamming the South African side in a landslide Vertigo victory, earning a rematch against Movistar Riders in the decider.

Facing off against the Spaniards just a few hours later, the returnee xfl0ud starred as Eternal Fire recovered from a slow start to Vertigo, and the new captain, imoRR, led the way to a convincing closing on Inferno to earn their spot in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Outsiders defeated Fluxo in a rematch from the opening round of Group B to lock in second place, once again surviving an overtime affair on Dust2 against the Brazilian side around João “⁠felps⁠” Vasconcellos and clinching the series on Inferno without much trouble.

ESL Challenger Rotterdam now heads into its final day. In the semi-finals, a precursor to the IEM Rio Major Challengers Stage awaits between MOUZ and Outsiders, and on the other side of the bracket Eternal Fire will face off against their toughest opponent yet in ENCE:

Sunday, October 16
09:00 MOUZ vs. Outsiders
12:30 ENCE vs. Eternal Fire
16:00 Grand final