SK Gaming Dominates Day One of ESL Pro League Season 5 Finals
In a remarkable performance, SK Gaming proved their dominance on day one of the ESL Pro League Season 5 Finals, winning all three matches and losing only 15 rounds.
Epitácio “TACO” de Melo happy with yesterday’s results.
The first match of the day saw SK Gaming taking on Cloud9 on their preferred map of Cobblestone. SK Gaming, starting as Counter-Terrorists, outplayed Cloud9, winning 66% of their retakes. The first half ended with an impressive 8-7 score in favor of SK Gaming, despite Cobblestone favoring the Terrorists. Switching sides, SK Gaming showcased incredible skills and didn’t drop a single round, leading to a final score of 16-7. Fernando “fer” Alvarenga was the star player, finishing with a 28-11 kill death ratio and an average damage per round of 120.2.
A blooper from the SK/Immortals match.
The second match featured a Brazilian showdown between SK Gaming and Immortals on Mirage. SK Gaming faced an initial setback in the first pistol round, but quickly recovered to secure a comfortable lead of 10-5 by the end of the Counter-Terrorist side. SK Gaming continued their dominance as Terrorists, closing out Mirage with a score of 16-5. Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo led the team with a 23-6 KDR, while João “felps” Vasconcellos had a 23-14 KDR, a 47.8% headshot percentage, and a 132.1 ADR.
In their final match of the day against Fnatic on Cache, SK Gaming had their easiest victory. SK Gaming’s exceptional middle map control and early kills on the Counter-Terrorist side limited Fnatic to only three rounds in the first half. Fnatic failed to show consistency or variation in their strategies, and every player on their team had less than 11 kills. SK Gaming secured a resounding 16-3 win with every player finishing with less than 10 deaths.
Notably, SK Gaming did not drop a single round on their Terrorist side, showcasing their dominance in all aspects of the game. They ended the day with a perfect record of 3-0 in the group stage.
In the standings, SK Gaming is in first place with a 3-0 record. Fnatic follows in second place with a 2-1 record. G2 holds a 1-1 record, while both Cloud9 and Team EnVyUs have a 1-2 record. Immortals sit at the bottom with a 0-2 record, still having three games left to play.
Tomorrow, SK Gaming aims to continue their winning streak and secure a playoff spot in Group A. They will face G2 Esports and Team EnVyUs, both of whom are French teams, to conclude the group stage in Dallas, Texas.
ESL Pro League Season 5 Finals, SK Gaming, Cloud9, Cobblestone, Mirage, Fnatic, Cache, Counter-Terrorist, Terrorist, Brazilian showdown, playoff spot.