Vitality beat NRG to reach semi-finals at ESL One Cologne

Vitality bested NRG 2-0 on Dust2 (16-7) and Mirage (16-7) to secure a semi-final spot at ESL One Cologne.

The series began on Dust2, where the Frenchmen kicked off the map with a dominant pistol round on the Terrorist side. A chaotic back-and-forth ensued, seeing both sides pick up force buy victories before Vitality were able to gain control of the economy to ascend to a 6-1 lead. A triple-kill from Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt in the eighth round ensured control stayed with the Frenchmen who extended their lead to a commanding 9-1 scoreline. NRG found some form towards the end of the half with guns in hand, however, to pick up four of the following five rounds to go into halftime at a 10-5 deficit.

Switching over to the CT side, Vitality extended their lead thanks to a Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut double-kill on a 3v2 retake, securing the subsequent round also. Staring down a 13-5 score difference, NRG attempted to mount a comeback, acquiring two additional rounds, but a quad-kill from Alex "⁠ALEX⁠" McMeekin halted the North American side in their tracks, enabling Vitality to close out the map convincingly with a 16-7 scoreline.

NRG came out of the gates hot on the second map, Mirage, posting two rounds on the board briskly. NBK- was adamant to not allow the Terrorist side to cruise ahead by taking down Tarik "⁠tarik⁠" Celik in a 1v1 situation, but the North American side recouped immediately to hit straight back with three consecutive rounds. NRG looked on point to increase their lead further, but a sensational performance from ZywOo saw the Frenchman post two quad-kills successively to prevent the half from slipping away. The two sides then traded two rounds apiece before Vitality broke the bank of the North Americans to recover the half 8-7.

A double-kill on the pistol from Ethan "⁠Ethan⁠" Arnold as the solo B bombsite player was not enough for NRG to level the score, as Vitality steamrolled their way through to 14 rounds. Peter "⁠stanislaw⁠" Jarguz and his squad attempted to hold Vitality off from hitting map and series point on the back of two saved rifles, but the Frenchmen proved too proficient on their offensive side. Vitality swiftly emerged victorious 16-7 on Mirage, and 2-0 in the series, to book their spot in the semi-finals.