paiN outlast Nemiga to qualify for EPL Stage 2

The Brazilians squeaked through to the next stage after a 13-11 win on the decider.

paiN have defeated Nemiga in a three-map series (Train 7-13, Mirage 13-9, Dust2 13-11) to secure the penultimate spot in ESL Pro League S21 Stage 2. Just one more place remains up for grabs, set to go to the winner of FURIA vs. M80.

Rodrigo "⁠biguzera⁠" Bittencourt's troops are through with the victory despite not being at their best and will need to raise their level for Stage 2, where they will face off against much higher-ranked opposition.

On the other side of the server, Nemiga are eliminated after the loss. The young CIS squad recorded a hard-earned upset victory over HEROIC on Tuesday but couldn't replicate their form against paiN despite taking them to all 24 rounds on the decider.

paiN continue to struggle despite going through

paiN's EPL campaign includes wins against Housebets, Lynn Vision, and Nemiga, with the latter two being nail-biting affairs down to the last second, as well as surprising losses to M80 and FlyQuest.

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 21 Stage 1
01/03/2025	paiN Finished 2:0 Housebets	Match
02/03/2025	paiN Finished 0:2 M80	Match
03/03/2025	FlyQuest Finished 2:1 paiN	Match
04/03/2025	paiN Finished 2:1 Lynn Vision	Match
05/03/2025	paiN Finished 2:1 Nemiga	Match

With the form the Brazilians have shown so far this season, their level in Sweden has not been up to par with expectations.

"I was the only person who didn't get sick," Lucas "⁠nqz⁠" Soares shared after the victory. "Mission completed for us. We weren't playing well right now, but we can't use it as an excuse."

The AWPer also saved some praise for Kaue "⁠kauez⁠" Kaschuk, who had a rough series overall (0.72 rating) but showed up in the dying stages of Dust2 to drag his team over the line.

"This last round, kauez saved us. I went close to the smoke and they naded it, and I thought, 'Oh yeah, we're fucked now," nqz admitted.