Virtus.pro managed a gritty comeback against FaZe to punch their ticket to the BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2 Finals in Malta. After falling behind 4-9 on Inferno, the Russian squad rallied impressively to claim the map 13-9 and the series 2-1. This win offers a much-needed boost for Denis “electroNic” Sharipov’s team following a rough run at IEM Cologne.
The match kicked off on Overpass, the new addition to the map pool, where FaZe showed early promise. Despite a slow CT side start at 3-5, Helvijs “broky” Saukants came alive with his AWP, enabling FaZe to win four rounds in a row and take a 7-5 lead at halftime. Yet, FaZe’s momentum faltered in the second half; after a successful pistol round, they stumbled against a full eco round and could only manage two more rounds, losing the map 10-13 due to a weak T-side performance.
On Ancient, Virtus.pro got off to a flying start with Kaisar “ICY” Faiznurov pulling off an ace in the pistol round, leading to an early 4-0 advantage. FaZe, however, looked dominant once armed, dropping only one round before Virtus.pro’s second pistol round evened things up. FaZe’s Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski was a nightmare on Mid, finishing with 25 kills, 126 ADR, and a 1.72 rating to secure a 13-9 win and push the series to a decider.
Inferno was a rollercoaster. Virtus.pro grabbed an early defensive pistol round win, but FaZe dominated the first half with relentless pressure on the A site, backed by solid plays from Håvard “rain” Nygaard and EliGE, closing the half at 8-4. After FaZe’s captain Finn “karrigan” Andersen pulled off a clutch 1v3 to steal the second pistol, it looked bleak for Virtus.pro.
But wait, Virtus.pro wasn’t done yet. They responded immediately with a force-buy round win and then unleashed a dominant T-side streak, winning nine rounds straight to take Inferno 13-9 and clinch the series. What a comeback! Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev was a standout, posting 52 kills with a +10 kill-death difference and a 1.32 rating. Petr “fame” Bolyshev and ICY also delivered solid performances, while electroNic led the team’s in-game leadership despite a slightly negative kill-death difference.
FaZe’s EliGE was impressive throughout, but the team’s T-side struggles on Overpass and Inferno ultimately cost them. Fans and commentators online have already been talking, with many questioning karrigan’s leadership and broky’s form. Yikes, the community is not holding back!
Virtus.pro will face off in the upcoming BLAST Bounty Finals in Malta, looking to carry this momentum forward. Will they continue this surge or will the pressure get to them? Guess we’ll find out soon enough!!
