FURIA came back from a 9-3 deficit on Nuke and beat Natus Vincere 2-1 to secure an IEM Beijing playoff spot. After losing Ancient, the Brazilian side won the decider on Cache and avenged its loss to NAVI at the previous event.
Three days earlier, FURIA had won PGL Masters Bucharest, its second consecutive title after the Thunderpick World Championship in Malta. NAVI had beaten FURIA 2-0 in Bucharest. In a post-match interview with HLTV, coach Sid “sidde” Macedo said FURIA chose a different map, varied its approach, and wanted to prove it could beat NAVI.
NAVI took its Ancient pick in overtime after FURIA won both pistol rounds and fought back to extend the map. Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato helped keep FURIA in contention, but NAVI claimed all four overtime rounds to take the series lead.
Nuke followed a similar route into overtime, with a different winner. NAVI built a 9-3 lead on its CT side, but FURIA took both pistols and forced extra rounds. KSCERATO then collected eight kills as FURIA swept overtime 4-0 to level the series.
On Cache, NAVI finally won a pistol round, only for FURIA to answer with eight consecutive rounds before switching to the attacking side.
NAVI closed the gap on the decider, but Danil “molodoy” Golubenko’s 1v3 clutch put FURIA back in control. Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo later landed a no-scope shot and gestured toward Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen. FalleN finished Cache with 98.7 average damage per round, while Aleksib recorded eight kills.
Macedo credits molodoy’s communication
Macedo pointed to molodoy’s communication and organization as key to the Nuke comeback. He said the AWPer was vocal with the team and praised his mentality, while noting how difficult it can be to overcome a large deficit on Nuke’s strong CT side.
FURIA’s rapid trip from Bucharest to China has taken a toll. Macedo described himself as “close to dead” from fatigue, but said he was still studying opponents, preparing, exercising, and trying to manage jet lag. FURIA will also play BLAST Rivals in Hong Kong before the Singapore Major.
FURIA will face The MongolZ on November 4 for a place in the semifinals. Macedo said FURIA studies the Mongolian team’s game to build its own structure, and described the matchup between FalleN and The MongolZ’s in-game leader, bLitz, as a meeting of smart leaders. He also praised The MongolZ’s recent form and its new addition, cobrazera.
FURIA is pursuing a third consecutive trophy and recently became No. 1 in HLTV’s world ranking. NAVI moves to the lower bracket, where it will meet the winner of Legacy versus B8 on the same date.
What made FURIA’s Nuke comeback possible? Follow the team’s run against The MongolZ and its schedule toward Hong Kong and the Singapore Major on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, Telegram.
