Aurora have defeated 9z in a straightforward 2-0 rematch to secure a playoffs spot at the Thunderpick World Championship in Malta.
They have earned themselves a matchup against FURIA in the semi-finals, a rematch from their encounter in the group stage of ESL Pro League Season 24 just 10 days ago, in which Aurora came out victorious 2-1.
With the victory over 9z, Aurora continue their successful streak, now securing their third consecutive finish after a runners-up placing at StarSeries and third place at ESL Pro League.
It came as a recovery from their tough start to the tournament, which saw 9z deal Aurora a heavy blow with a 13-11 win on Inferno and a 13-1 on Nuke.
Ashley "ash" Battye and company understandably decided against the Nuke pick the second time around and opted for Cache instead.
They got off to a winning start in the series thanks to some clutch play from Damjan "kyxsan" Stoilkovski, which helped Aurora start strong on both sides, before they narrowly escaped a comeback attempt from 9z in the second half with a low buy win in round 24.
A replay of Inferno followed, which was made considerably easier by a dominant CT side spearheaded by Ali "Wicadia" Haydar Yalçın on the B bombsite. The 21-year-old held strong against 9z's approaches, picking up a marvelous AWP highlight in a round 8 where the saved gun made all the difference:
The match ends 9z's road at the tournament in Malta, where the South American side ultimately continued their run of group stage exit, extending their streak to five tournaments in a row without a playoffs finish.
9z
Maximiliano 'max' Gonzalez
Franco 'dgt' Garcia
Ignacio 'meyern' Meyer
Luciano 'luchov' Herrera
Matias 'HUASOPEEK' Ibañez Hernandez
Bruno 'BIT' Fukuda Lima
FURIA
Gabriel 'FalleN' Toledo
Yuri 'yuurih' Santos
Mareks 'YEKINDAR' Gaļinskis
Kaike 'KSCERATO' Cerato
Danil 'molodoy' Golubenko
Sid 'sidde' Macedo
Ali 'Wicadia' Haydar YalçınPast 3 months
Damjan 'kyxsan' StoilkovskiPast 3 months
Aurora
Ismailcan 'XANTARES' Dörtkardeş
Özgür 'woxic' Eker
Jimi 'Jimpphat' Salo
Damjan 'kyxsan' Stoilkovski
Ali 'Wicadia' Haydar Yalçın
Ashley 'ash' Battye
Ashley 'ash' Battye