The reigning Major champions from Vitality opened their IEM Cologne Major run with a difficult and tricky opponent in FUT, who came to Stage 3 with confidence after making a flawless run in Stage 2.
FUT selected Anubis as the opening map, with Vitality electing to start on the offensive side. The young squad immediately applied pressure, utilizing a dynamic defensive strategy that alternated between aggressive pushes and passive setups. This approach disrupted the calling of Vitality in-game leader apEX, forcing the European squad into uncomfortable situations. Frustrations became apparent during the first half, with apEX vocally urging his team to anticipate the unpredictable setups from FUT.
FUT carried a 7-5 advantage into the second half and maintained their momentum to extend their lead to 9-5. Compounding the difficulties for Vitality was an uncharacteristically quiet performance from ZywOo, who held a 4-12 kill-death record deep into the map. Despite a late tactical timeout trailing 5-11, Vitality could not mount a comeback. FUT secured a convincing victory on Anubis, a map where ZywOo failed to register a single multi-kill round.
Vitality answer back with decisive Overpass win
The series transitioned to Overpass, the map selection of Vitality. The dynamic of the match shifted completely, highlighted by ZywOo securing an ace in the fifth round to build an early 5-0 lead. A significant factor in this offensive success was flameZ, who secured five opening kills within the first six rounds to consistently break through the FUT defense.
FUT struggled to replicate their success from Anubis, failing to find gaps or exploit timings within the defensive structures of Vitality. The European squad controlled the pace of the map entirely, closing out Overpass with a dominant 13-2 scoreline to force a decider.
ZywOo dictates terms on Nuke to close the series
Nuke served as the final battleground. ZywOo continued his resurgence by delivering a second ace to open the map, setting the tone for the remainder of the series. Vitality raced to a 6-0 lead before FUT managed to respond. The first half concluded with a commanding 10-2 advantage for Vitality, driven by a 17-4 kill-death performance from their star AWPer across the opening twelve rounds.
FUT looked better on their CT side, where they finally managed to win some rounds after Vitality had stomped them in three halves in a row. But the damage was done in the first half, and Vitality finalized a 2-1 series victory with a 13-8 win on Nuke to successfully recover from their initial map loss to begin their Stage 3 campaign with a win.
