NIP eliminate Gaimin Gladiators from ESL Pro League Season 23 as r1nkle takes over

Ninjas in Pyjamas kept their ESL Pro League Season 23 campaign alive after defeating Gaimin Gladiators 2-0 in the Stage 1 elimination bracket, sending the Brazilian-led lineup out of the tournament and advancing to the 2-2 pool. The victory gives the European squad one final chance to reach Stage 2 after a difficult start to the event.

The match came after a turbulent opening to the competition for both teams. Earlier in the tournament, Ninjas in Pyjamas had fallen into the elimination pool following losses, including a defeat to M80, leaving them in a must-win situation to remain in the competition.

Against Gaimin Gladiators, however, NIP managed to stabilize their performance and deliver a convincing series victory built around strong individual displays and a dominant second map.

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Dust2 comeback denies Gaimin Gladiators

The series began on Dust2, the map pick of Gaimin Gladiators. Despite initially falling behind, the Brazilian side mounted multiple comebacks and nearly closed out the map. They recovered from a 1-5 deficit early in the match and later overturned another disadvantage after trailing 7-11, pushing the map to the brink of victory.

However, crucial mistakes in the final rounds prevented them from securing the win. Gaimin Gladiators lost a key round to NIP’s Glock pistols, which denied them the chance to close the map earlier and allowed Ninjas in Pyjamas to force overtime. From there, the European team capitalized on the momentum, converting crucial situations—including back-to-back 5v3 advantages given up by the Brazilians—to secure the map 16-14 in overtime.

The narrow victory gave NIP control of the series heading into their map choice.

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r1nkle dominates Nuke to close the series

If Dust2 was competitive, Nuke was anything but. NIP’s Ukrainian AWPer Artem “r1nkle” Moroz delivered a spectacular individual performance that completely shut down the Gaimin Gladiators attack.

He ended the map with a staggering 24-4 kill-death score, producing seven multi-kill rounds and finishing with a 2.67 rating, one of the most dominant map performances of the tournament so far.

Behind r1nkle’s dominance, Ninjas in Pyjamas cruised to a 13-4 victory, sealing the series and eliminating Gaimin Gladiators from ESL Pro League Season 23.

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Key performers for NIP

Several players contributed to the win, but two stood out statistically:

• Artem “r1nkle” Moroz – series-leading performance with a 1.93 rating, 53-23 K-D, and 100.9 ADR.

• Artem “cairne” Mushynskyi – strong secondary impact with a 1.24 rating and consistent fragging throughout the series.

The rest of the lineup—xKacpersky, Snappi, and sjuush—provided stable support to ensure the team converted advantages and closed the match comfortably.

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Gaimin Gladiators’ EPL run ends

The defeat ends Gaimin Gladiators’ ESL Pro League Season 23 campaign despite moments of promise earlier in the event. The Brazilian squad had previously shown strong form, even upsetting Team Liquid earlier in Stage 1, demonstrating their potential to compete with higher-ranked opponents.

Against NIP, however, they were unable to capitalize on their opportunities, particularly on Dust2 where missed chances in key rounds ultimately decided the outcome.

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NIP move to final Stage 2 decider

With the victory, Ninjas in Pyjamas advance to the 2-2 pool, where they will play one final series for a place in ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2. The team has now survived two elimination matches and must win once more to complete the comeback after their early struggles in the Swiss stage.

If NIP can maintain the level displayed against Gaimin Gladiators—especially with r1nkle in peak form—they remain a serious contender to reach the next phase of the competition.