Huge Upset: FaZe Eliminates Tournament Favorites Vitality

After a nail-biting series, Team Vitality, who were widely considered the front-runners for the title, were eliminated from the tournament by FaZe with a 2-1 victory. The match was a rollercoaster of intense action, with both teams stealing each other's map picks, forcing the series into a final decider on Anubis.

Vitality Dominates Early, FaZe Fights Back

Vitality kicked off the series in dominant fashion, taking the first map, Nuke, with ease. The team’s Israeli duo—Shahar "flameZ" Shushan and Lotan "Spinx" Giladi—were in superb form, while Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut continued to showcase his world-class skill. Together, they steamrolled FaZe, taking a commanding lead.

As the teams moved to Mirage, many expected Vitality to continue their dominance on their own map pick. Early signs pointed to that outcome as Vitality raced to an early lead. However, FaZe refused to back down, with the team showing signs of their old brilliance, especially from Latvian AWPer Helvijs "broky" Saukants. Broky's exceptional individual performance sparked FaZe’s resurgence, leading them to a comeback victory and handing Vitality their first map loss of the Major.

Anubis Decides the Match

With the score tied 1-1, the decider map was set to be Anubis. The energy in the Shanghai Arena was palpable, with fans still buzzing after G2 and Heroic's earlier epic showdown. FaZe carried their momentum into the final map, with Robin "ropz" Kool playing a key role. The Estonian star was instrumental in FaZe's strong first-half performance, which saw them take an 8-4 lead.

As the second half progressed, FaZe continued to dominate. They extended their lead to 11-4, and despite a late push from Vitality, FaZe held their ground and secured the map—and the series—clinching the 2-1 victory.

FaZe will take on G2 tomorrow in the Semi-Finals. Will there be another upset in the making?

Match result:

Vitality - FaZe 1-2
Nuke: 13-6
Mirage: 8-13
Anubis: 7-13