A comeback for the ages sees the French powerhouse edge out MOUZ once again.

Revenge Served Hot in Chengdu

Team Vitality have booked their spot in yet another grand final, taking down MOUZ 2-1 in a thrilling semi-final at IEM Chengdu 2025. The French-led squad turned the tables on their rivals after suffering a loss to them earlier in the group stage, securing a much-needed revenge victory to claim their 10th grand final appearance of the year.

Vitality exact revenge on MOUZ to book their 10th grand final of the year 🔥🐝 pic.twitter.com/09qv8WUnBB

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) November 8, 2025

The match was every bit the blockbuster fans expected. Both sides have developed one of Counter-Strike’s most intense rivalries throughout 2025, meeting ten times this year alone. While Vitality dominated early in the season, MOUZ had clawed their way back in recent months, including a win at IEM Cologne that ended Vitality’s hot streak.

After the Chengdu clash, Shahar “flameZ” Shushan summed it up best:

“We worked a lot to beat them, to get revenge for the group stage, and now this means that their win in the group stage is quite nothing. It makes us happy.”

A Nuke Comeback to Remember

The series kicked off on Nuke, and it looked like MOUZ had the upper hand early on, racing to a 12-4 lead. But in true Vitality fashion, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut switched into overdrive. The French superstar dropped 30 kills, including two incredible quad-kills that sparked an 11-round run to flip the script.

Alongside captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, ZywOo led one of the most remarkable comebacks of the season, with Vitality closing out the opener 16-13.

MOUZ Respond on Train

MOUZ refused to back down and found their rhythm on Train. Down 4-8 at the half, Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin rallied his team, calling their CT side “the best in the world”, and he wasn’t wrong. The squad tightened up defensively, shutting down Vitality’s pushes and taking the map 13-11 to even the series.

The win showed MOUZ’s resilience, with Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo and Dorian “xertioN” Berman putting up key multi-kill rounds to keep the dream alive.

Inferno Decider Brings the Chaos

It all came down to Inferno, and both teams came out swinging. Every round felt like a chess match, filled with counter-strats and unpredictable plays. MOUZ’s xertioN looked unstoppable on Banana, stringing together a four-round streak that nearly broke Vitality’s economy late in the game.

But Vitality didn’t flinch. apEX called the perfect stack and bait setup to snatch back control, while ZywOo landed a devastating collateral shot that sealed MOUZ’s fate. The final map ended 13-10, sending Vitality roaring into the grand final.

Star Performances

Vitality’s star trio led the way:

• ZywOo – 63 kills, 1.39 rating
• ropz – 59 kills, 1.40 rating
• flameZ – 56 kills, 1.21 rating

Meanwhile, MOUZ’s xertioN fought valiantly with 52 kills, but it wasn’t enough to stop Vitality’s late surge.

Grand Final Awaits

With this win, Team Vitality advance to the IEM Chengdu 2025 Grand Final, where they’ll face the winner of Falcons vs FURIA. The championship match is set for Sunday, November 9, and fans can expect another high-octane showdown as Vitality look to cap off their dominant year with another trophy.

The post Vitality Strike Back to Reach IEM Chengdu 2025 Grand Final appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

After months of frustration and near-misses, Team Vitality have finally returned to the top. The French organisation stormed through the ESL Pro League Season 22 Grand Final, sweeping Team Falcons 3-0 to claim their first Counter-Strike 2 trophy in four months.

🏆🏆🏆3 TIMERS🏆🏆🏆@TeamVitalityCS ARE YOUR #ESLProLeague SEASON 22 CHAMPIONS.@Vitality_apEX@zywoo@flameZcsgo@kingmezii@ropz@XTQZZZ pic.twitter.com/NyDlVNWyUO

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 12, 2025

The win not only ends their title drought but also cements back-to-back ESL Pro League triumphs, having lifted the Season 21 trophy earlier this year.

flameZ Shines Bright

Israeli rifler Shahar “flameZ” Shushan delivered a star-making performance in the final, securing Player of the Map honours on both Inferno and Train. His explosive playstyle turned the series into a one-sided affair, highlighted by a crucial quad-kill on Inferno’s B site and several clutch multi-kills that swung the early rounds in Vitality’s favour.

100+ ADR over 3 maps in a Grand Final is crazy work @flameZcsgo 👀#ESLProLeague pic.twitter.com/g4f6Zymyb6

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 12, 2025

flameZ continued his dominance on Train with 16 kills in the first half, setting up Vitality’s comfortable second-map win. On Dust II, British teammate William “mezii” Merriman joined the spotlight with sharp entries, while flameZ closed out the series with yet another clutch and four opening kills to secure the clean sweep.

Road to the Championship

Vitality’s run through the playoffs wasn’t without challenges. The team survived tight series against FURIA and FaZe Clan before finding their best form in the final. Captain Dan “apEX” Madesclaire credited the team’s resilience and hard work for the victory.

“We’ve been working hard and we really wanted to get back to trophies,” apEX said after the win.

The veteran IGL has set his sights on matching Astralis’ record of 10 titles in a single year, and Vitality are now just two trophies away from that goal with IEM Chengdu, BLAST Rivals Season 2, and the StarLadder Budapest Major still to come.

m0NESY Earns MVP Honours

Despite the loss, Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov of Team Falcons walked away with the ESL Pro League Season 22 MVP award. The 20-year-old AWPer posted a phenomenal 1.38 rating and 1.12 kills per round, his best event since joining Falcons and his first MVP medal of 2025.

Falcons are not leaving EPL empty-handed as @FLCm0NESY secures our HLTV and @1xBet_Esports MVP award

The fifth of his career 🏅 pic.twitter.com/FcY5KAb0nG

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) October 12, 2025

It’s the fifth MVP of his career and another sign of his growing status as one of Counter-Strike 2’s most consistent stars.

Looking Ahead

The ESL Pro League title marks Vitality’s eighth trophy of 2025, continuing their push for one of the most successful seasons in Counter-Strike history. With flameZ in blistering form, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut steady as ever, and the team firing on all cylinders, Vitality look ready to dominate the closing stretch of the year.

The post Vitality End Title Drought with Dominant ESL Pro League Season 22 Victory appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The MongolZ are proving to be Vitality’s kryptonite in 2025. The Mongolian squad has now beaten the Austin Major champions twice in quick succession, this time in Saudi Arabia, to lock in their place in the Esports World Cup grand final.

The MongolZ beat Vitality once again to secure the EWC Grand Final pic.twitter.com/yjMTkySWdt

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) August 23, 2025

It’s a massive statement from bLitz and his team, who have not only become the only side to topple Vitality twice this year but also done it when it mattered most.

Vitality’s Dominance Slips

For much of the year, Vitality looked untouchable. Seven titles in a row and a frightening winstreak made them the team to beat after the Austin Major. But things have wobbled since the mid-season break. They first fell to MOUZ at IEM Cologne, then to The MongolZ at the BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals last weekend, and now once again in Riyadh.

Vitality had been The MongolZ’s nightmare match-up earlier this year, taking six out of their seven meetings. That run finally snapped in Malta, when the Mongolian side found their first win over the European powerhouse. This latest result, however, shows it wasn’t just a one-off.

The only team to beat Vitality twice @1mongolz 🇲🇳 pic.twitter.com/2U1WQ6kh1m

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) August 23, 2025

The Maps, A Twist in the Veto

The veto had a different flavour this time. The MongolZ stuck with their trusty Mirage pick, while Vitality threw a curveball by going for Dust2 and leaving Nuke as the decider instead of Inferno.

On Mirage, The MongolZ came out flying. A double entry from bLitz set the tone as Vitality faltered with uncharacteristic mistakes. FlameZ left ZywOo stranded in one round and over-pushed into his death the next. While ZywOo and mezii managed to claw back a few rounds with some sharp multi-kills, The MongolZ held firm. With Deagle heroics from Senzu and 910 sealing the deal, they closed their map 13–8.

Dust2 was a different story. Vitality’s Robin “ropz” Kool opened with a pistol ace and later pulled off a 1v2 clutch, propelling his side to an early lead. Though The MongolZ narrowed what was once a brutal 1–8 deficit, Vitality’s captain apEX found a miracle with two MAG-7 frags to turn the tide. That momentum carried them through to even up the series.

Techno’s Masterclass on Nuke

It all came down to Nuke, and this is where Sodbayar “Techno” Munkhbold put on one of the best maps of his career. Holding the CT side like a fortress, he dismantled Vitality’s attacks again and again, powering The MongolZ to a staggering 9–0 lead before their opponents could even respond.

Vitality scraped together two rounds before the half and tried to hang on with flashes of brilliance from ZywOo, ropz, and apEX. But it was never enough. Techno and 910 combined for key doubles in the closing stretch, shutting down any chance of a comeback.

Techno finished with a monstrous 27–11 K/D, a sky-high 148.3 ADR, and his second-best LAN performance ever, numbers that speak for themselves.

Vitality stood no chance against Techno playing like that 👀 pic.twitter.com/2Z9AuofWvN

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) August 23, 2025

What’s Next?

With this victory, The MongolZ have secured a historic spot in the EWC grand final. More importantly, they’ve shown that Vitality’s stranglehold over them is well and truly broken. If they can ride this momentum all the way, we might be seeing one of the biggest underdog runs of the year turn into a championship moment.

The post The MongolZ Take Down Vitality Again to Book Spot in EWC Grand Final appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

After months of trying, and seven straight losses to the same team this year alone, MOUZ have finally done it. They’ve beaten Team Vitality, and not just scraped by, but done it in straight maps, to book their place in the IEM Cologne 2025 Grand Final.

MOUZ have finally done it 🥹 pic.twitter.com/ZHGxSg02Rm

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) August 2, 2025

Vitality had been riding a massive win streak coming into the event. Seven straight trophies. Thirty-seven consecutive series wins. The defending Cologne champs looked near-unstoppable. But MOUZ flipped the script in front of a roaring LANXESS Arena crowd.

VITALITY’S 37 BO3 WINSTREAK IS OVER! pic.twitter.com/sWMxYjP0BY

— CS2 NEWS (@CS2News_EN) August 2, 2025

Map 1, Mirage – MOUZ’s Pick

Map one, Mirage, started out rough for MOUZ. Down 4-8 at one point, it looked like yet another Vitality steamroll was incoming. But something clicked. MOUZ pulled off a crucial pistol round on the B site and ran away with the half from there. Despite some heroic plays from ropz early on, including a 1v3 clutch, Vitality couldn’t stop the slide. They managed just a single round in the second half, eventually falling 13-9.

They never saw it coming #IEM pic.twitter.com/Gs9fCzzeLX

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 2, 2025

ZywOo, usually a titan in these moments, ended the map 8-19 with a 0.53 rating, his worst single-map performance since 2022.

MAP 2, Train – Vitality’s Pick

Historically, dropping a map never fazed Vitality. They’ve often lost the opener in a series, only to come back stronger on their pick. But this time was different. Train started out with a promising pistol round for Vitality, but MOUZ fired right back. The first half was tight, 7-5 to Vitality, but the second half was all MOUZ. Clean executes, punishing retakes, and a disjointed Vitality defence led to a 13-8 finish, and a 2-0 series win.

NO WAY @xertioNCS & @SpinxCS2 actually pulled off this 2v5#IEM pic.twitter.com/2Y4O06QP60

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 2, 2025

Even more surprising? flameZ posted a 1:18 K/D on Train, the second-worst map of his career. He even posted online afterward, jokingly waiting for a 12-second highlight video of his performance.

https://t.co/L2ueowQELC

— Exerpas (@ExerpasCS) August 2, 2025

A New Champion Awaits

The loss puts an end to Vitality’s incredible streak, and for the first time since IEM Katowice earlier this year, they won’t be in the final. Instead, MOUZ will face Team Spirit for one of the most prestigious titles in Counter-Strike.

THE #IEM COLOGNE 2025 GRAND FINAL.@Team__Spirit ⚔️ @mousesports

📍LANXESS Arena, Cologne

📅Sunday, August 3rd 2025

🔔17:00 CEST / 11:00 EST pic.twitter.com/5IGAy6YtVV

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 2, 2025

For MOUZ, the win is monumental. They’ve been knocked down time and again by Vitality, seven series losses in 2025 alone, but on the biggest stage, they found their form and showed the world they’re not just contenders, but genuine champions in waiting.

The Grand Final at LANXESS is now set. And for Vitality? It’s back to the drawing board.

The post Finally! MOUZ Take Down Vitality Securing the Grand Final at IEM Cologne 2025 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.