FaZe eliminate reigning Major Champions in Copenhagen
Vitality is out of the Major after a thriller ending on Inferno.
Finn "karrigan" Andersen will have the opportunity to clinch a Major title on home soil as FaZe emerged victorious 2-1 against Vitality in the first Semi-Final of the day at the Royal Arena.
Once again, the veto process sparked discussion as FaZe opted to forgo Vertigo, a decision that Vitality capitalized on. However, FaZe initially selected Nuke as the battleground for the match.
It quickly became apparent that FaZe continued their momentum from the Spirit match, where Finn "karrigan" Andersen's squad pulled off a surprising upset to eliminate the strong title favorite in Copenhagen. On Nuke, we witnessed the same resilience from the seasoned roster, effectively neutralizing Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut, the world's top player in 2023. Herbaut struggled with an 8-16 kill-to-death ratio, while Lotan "Spinx" Giladi stood out for Vitality, though his efforts were insufficient. Håvard "rain" Nygaard and David "frozen" Čerňanský delivered stellar performances for FaZe, securing a 13-7 victory on Nuke.
The match then moved to Vertigo, the wildcard map from the Quarter-Final, where FaZe surprised by letting it be the deciding factor against Team Spirit. However, this time, Vitality's thorough preparation paid off, reactivating Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut while William 'mezii' Merriman shone as an unsung hero, overwhelming FaZe's defense in a one-sided 13-5 victory for Vitality.
The Semi-Final, up to this point, had been somewhat one-sided with two dominant maps. However, this was about to change as Inferno was chosen as the decider. FaZe led 7-5 at halftime and maintained their momentum in the second half, winning the first three rounds to exert maximum pressure on Vitality. Lotan "Spinx" Giladi needed to step up for Vitality on Inferno but struggled initially, only contributing three kills in the first half. Despite Vitality's attempt to stage a comeback from 5-10 to 8-10, FaZe halted their momentum with a well-executed play on Banana, led by Robin "ropz" Kool's remarkable four-kill round, denying Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut and his team a chance at another Grand Final appearance.
Tomorrow, FaZe will face the winner of NAVI and G2 in the Grand Final.
Final Score:
Vitality – FaZe 1-2 (7-13, 13-5, 8-13)
