Vitality is in the semi-finals of IEM Melbourne, beating Falcons in a remarkable 2-0 fashion. A comeback from a huge deficit on Mirage and a dominating performance on Inferno saw them secure a spot in the semi-finals on Saturday.
VETO
- Falcons removed Anubis
- Vitality removed Ancient
- Falcons picked Mirage
- Vitality picked Inferno
- Falcons removed Nuke
- Vitality removed Dust2
- Train was left over
Map 1: Mirage; Pick: Falcons; Winner: Vitality
Starting off poorly, Vitality barely managed to get 4 rounds in the defense as the Falcons had complete control of the game. Switching sides, the Falcons further extended their lead to 11-7 before Vitality started mounting their comeback. Winning round after round, the Falcons could not stop them from pushing the game to overtime. The Falcons’ defense managed no more than one round, and moving to the T side, they failed to get a single round as Vitality went flawless on their defense to take home Mirage.
Map 2: Inferno; Pick: Vitality; Winner: Vitality
Starting off strong, Vitality went 2-0 up before Falcons converted a force buy. A bit of back and forth between the two teams saw Vitality edge out a narrow lead by the end of the first half. As the Falcons started strong on the T side, Vitality quickly caught up and put a stop to any attempts at a comeback. Winning the map 13-8, Vitality booked their spot in the semi-finals, inspired by a stunning performance from ZyWoo and ropz.
This win extends Vitality’s unbeaten streak to 19 while booking their spot in the semi-finals, which brings them closer to the grand slam. Falcons, on the other hand, will find themselves in the quarter-finals against GamerLegion for a spot against MOUZ in the semi-finals.