Vitality end Entropiq's run and head to PGL Major playoffs

An inspired Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut secured Vitality's spot among the top 8 in Stockholm.

Below-average rated maps against HEROIC and Virtus.pro at the start of the tournament were just a distant memory for ZywOo who turned up to play in a do-or-die game against Entropiq.

With elimination or playoffs on the line, the best player of 2019 and 2020 delivered an admirable performance, and together with veteran members Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire and Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon ensured a 3-2 group stage record for Vitality.

Entropiq are left disappointed after the defeat, having sat 14-10 ahead on the CT side of first map, Mirage, and dropping the lead to ultimately lose the series after a shutdown on decider Dust2. The CIS side beat Astralis, HEROIC, Liquid, and Gambit in the last week, but BO3 losses to G2, FURIA, and Vitality see them exit the tournament in 9-11th place.

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apEX: "I told ZywOo, if he's not there we're not going to qualify"

A 6-2 start for Entropiq on the offensive side of Mirage was enabled by a 2v4 won by Vladislav "⁠Krad⁠" Kravchenko and Igor "⁠Forester⁠" Bezotecheskiy, with the latter being on point from the start of the map. Vitality didn't falter, though, bouncing back to salvage the half at 7-8 as their riflers stepped up. Jayson "⁠Kyojin⁠" Nguyen Van's entry set up a force-buy win after the switch, but Entropiq got on a roll with rifles, reaching a 14-10 advantage.

In a crucial round, Vitality's captain apEX delivered a 1v3 ace, turning the tides of the map. Put under pressure, Entropiq failed to close out, and instead, the Frenchmen stole away Mirage 16-14 as ZywOo quietly accumulated 27 frags.

The CIS squad didn't let Mirage get in their heads and kicked off Overpass with a brilliant 7-0 start on the defense as Vitality's pushes barely made a dent. A ZywOo 1v2 on B opened up the half and rounds were traded back and forth, but Entropiq didn't give up their aggression and finished the half 11-4 ahead. The Frenchmen fought back after going to CT, taking the pistol and follow up round, but didn't put their foot down the same way Entropiq did. Forester was again a problem for Vitality, pushing his team to a 16-13 victory.

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Video: apEX 1v3s to keep Entropiq off map point

Four rounds into Dust2, ZywOo was already on 13 kills, his early ace setting Vitality up for a strong defensive half. Entropiq failed to get map control and struggled economically as the Frenchmen stepped up and locked down approaches. Switching to offense 13-2 ahead and winning the pistol with a ZywOo 4K meant it was just a matter of time before Vitality finished the map and took the series 2-1.

The Legends stage is almost over, here is how the standings look: