Team Vitality have secured their place in the BLAST Open Porto semi-finals after overcoming FURIA in a hard-fought three-map battle, finishing 2-1 (6-13 on Nuke, 13-11 on Cache, 13-4 on Dust2).
The French squad's captain Dan "apEX" Madesclaire didn't mince words when discussing their opening map performance. He admitted their T-side execution was among the poorest they'd ever delivered. However, he remained optimistic about the team's trajectory, noting they're working their way back to peak form.
FURIA looked unstoppable on Nuke, losing just two players across the first five rounds. Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo was so comfortable he even checked notes mid-round while clutching a 1vs2 situation. Vitality struggled to find any footing until the ninth round, and despite winning the second pistol, they couldn't mount a real comeback. FURIA coach Sid "sidde" Macedo characterized their approach as relying heavily on momentum and instinct.
Cache told a different story. FURIA grabbed an early advantage, but Vitality clawed back with Justinas "jL" Lekavicius delivering a crucial 1vs2 clutch before halftime. The map became a showcase of individual brilliance rather than tactical masterclasses, with Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut dominating at a 1.72 rating to seal the 13-11 win.
The decisive Dust2 map highlighted Vitality's preparation. Riding a five-map winning streak on the classic, they executed flawlessly with an 8-4 attacking half before completely shutting down FURIA's offense to close out 13-4.
Vitality will now face MOUZ in the semi-finals, where jL will meet yet another organization he's recently stood in for.
