The semifinal clash between Spirit and FURIA turned out to be a true spectacle for CS2 fans. Both teams came into the match in good form, but with different journeys to this stage. Spirit had cruised through the tournament undefeated, while the ambitious FURIA squad had been steadily gaining momentum with their updated lineup. The match itself was tense, featuring a surprising start, a comeback from the favorites, and yet another star performance by donk.
Road to the Semifinal
Team Spirit came into the playoffs in outstanding form. They advanced from the group stage with a flawless 3–0 record, taking down teams like GamerLegion, NiP, and Astralis. In the quarterfinals, they faced NiP again and claimed a confident 2–0 victory. Special mention goes to the incredible individual performances of donk and sh1ro — the former boasting a phenomenal 1.57 rating, while the latter maintained a steady 1.27.
FURIA, on the other hand, had a less-than-perfect but still convincing run in the tournament. Their only loss came at the hands of The MongolZ, but they secured wins over GamerLegion, MIBR, and ODDIK. In the quarterfinals, they once again defeated MIBR. The new additions to the roster — YEKINDAR and molodoy — showed solid performances with ratings of 1.11 and 1.15, respectively. Despite falling in the semifinal, this is a major achievement for FURIA — and possibly the start of their journey back to the top tier of global CS.
The Semifinal Match
The first map was Train, FURIA’s pick. The Brazilians pleasantly surprised not only their fans but also Team Spirit by securing a dominant 13–7 win. For donk, this was his worst map of the tournament — he ended it with a 0.61 rating.
On the second map, Nuke, there was no upset — Spirit comfortably tied the series with a 13–9 victory. donk bounced back quickly, putting up a 21–17 scoreline and a 1.45 rating.
The deciding map, Mirage, proved to be FURIA’s downfall. Spirit looked well-prepared and secured a confident 13–7 win. Despite the poor first map, donk was the best player of the series — he finished with 57 kills, an average of 94.7 damage per round, and an overall rating of 1.31.
Once again, donk proves that he is an exceptional player who is incredibly hard to beat in duels.
Outcome of the Match
In the grand final, Spirit will face Astralis, who also won their semifinal convincingly. FURIA, meanwhile, will have a chance to finish the tournament with a medal — they will battle Aurora for third place. Reaching the semifinals of such a prestigious event with a newly updated roster is already a commendable result for FURIA. With the Austin Major ahead, the team now has a valuable opportunity to rest, regroup, and focus on practice to continue building momentum.
