MOUZ beat Spirit 2-0 to become the first team through to the ESL Pro League Season 24 playoffs, ending Spirit’s 32-match run of Swiss-stage wins that had lasted 668 days.
Spirit’s streak began with its opening match against FURIA at the Perfect World Shanghai Major. Before the Katowice event, Spirit had gone 3-0 in ten consecutive Swiss group stages. A win over MOUZ would have extended that run, but the team could not keep it intact.
Spirit picked Dust2, but MOUZ had prepared for the choice. The team expected donk to cross behind the first-door smoke and used HE grenades to punish the move. In HLTV’s post-match interview, MOUZ AWPer Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás estimated the grenades cost donk around 50 health each time and said he secured at least four CT-side entries.
Dust2’s B site had been a recurring concern for MOUZ, but Lotan “Spinx” Giladi and Oldřich “PR” Nový found positions that suited them and forced Spirit to rethink its original plan. MOUZ shut down repeated B attacks, while a switch to A ran into torzsi and Adrian “xelex” Vincze. After weathering early force-buy exchanges in the second half, MOUZ closed Spirit’s map pick.
MOUZ carried its control into Mirage, where xelex and Dorian “xertioN” Berman helped build a 12-6 lead. Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia helped Spirit fight back, and Danil “donk” Kryshkovets found impact with two quad kills. The rally came late, though, and MOUZ finished the map 13-11. Torzsi said missed shots had given MOUZ chances to close the match earlier.
The win also reversed the result of MOUZ’s previous meeting with Spirit, a 3-1 Spirit victory in the BLAST Open Porto final.
Speaking to HLTV after the match, torzsi described MOUZ’s StarLadder showing as a “nice slap in the face,” saying the team had taken the event too lightly and failed to show up. He said MOUZ was improving from tournament to tournament and that the Dust2 performance gave the team confidence for playoffs. The immediate goal is a semifinal place, but the team is aiming for the trophy.
How far can MOUZ’s improved Dust2 defense and preparation carry it through the playoffs? Follow the rest of ESL Pro League Season 24 with us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
