Vitality outlast Falcons in IEM Melbourne final thriller to clinch Grand Slam

Vitality worked hard in a triple-overtime decider to keep their winning streak going after 21 matches with a 3-2 victory in Australia.

Vitality beat Falcons 3-2 in the IEM Melbourne grand final to lift the trophy in Australia and close out Season 5 of the ESL Grand Slam, which they claimed after winning IEM Cologne 2024, IEM Katowice 2025, ESL Pro League Season 21, and IEM Melbourne 2025.

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Falcons on the other hand missed out on making it two out of two tournament victories after winning PGL Bucharest — where they were still with Abdul "⁠degster⁠" Gasanov manning the big green —, and will have to wait to add a title with Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov on the AWP.

The two teams had previously met in the Group B upper bracket final for seeding in the playoffs, and Falcons had shown some grit even though Vitality were superior on both maps played, an overtime affair on the first map, Mirage, and a 13-8 on Inferno.

The grand final rematch kicked off on Inferno, and once again it was Vitality’s to take as Falcons were no match for Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut and company on the opener. Several clutches and close rounds went to Vitality, and at no moment were they threatened as m0NESY posted his fifth-worst career map in the 13-2 thrashing.

The series went to Dust2, where Vitality got off to a strong 4-0 start on the CT side and it all looked like business as usual for the red-hot squad, but some strong A hits with aggressive Long takes and short pinches paid dividends as Falcons won the next seven out of eight rounds to lead by two at the half.

Affairs remained close through overtime, but Falcons then kicked into gear with the supporting cast of Damjan "⁠kyxsan⁠" Stoilkovski and René "⁠TeSeS⁠" Madsen leading the way in what ended up being a clean 4-0 in extra rounds to hand Vitality their first map loss in Melbourne, 16-12.

Back on one of their picks, Vitality were out to prove that the Dust2 loss was not going to turn the tide of the final, but it was not smooth sailing from the start. Falcons got off to a 5-1 start on the CT side of Train before Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire and company could shorten the lead to two at the half.

Down 8-9 after giving up back-to-back 3vs5s, apEX demanded more from his players, and Vitality stepped up, winning a full eco that turned the tides of the map all the way to a 13-9 victory as Falcons did not recover from the blow.

Falcons came into Mirage ready to bring the series back to even, winning five rounds in a row. The impetus came quickly to a halt, however, as Vitality came alive by winning six of the last seven to bring it to a deadlock at the half.

The first-half comeback and a strong start to the second half came in large part due to William "⁠mezii⁠" Merriman’s heroics, but m0NESY powered Falcons to a defensive surge that was enough for a 13-10 victory and forced the series to a decider.

Falcons locked down the CT side of Nuke, allowing Vitality only three rounds sprinkled throughout the half and frustrations started to mount.

A crucial CT pistol was won by apEX and his men, who burned their third tactical timeout after losing the bonus round and trailing by five as Falcons hit double digits, 5-10. Up against the ropes, Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool was outplayed by kyxsan in a 1vs1 situation that put Falcons on match point when he faked a bomb plant with just enough time on the clock and took advantage of an overextension from the chasing Estonian.

At this point it was Falcons' to win, but Vitality went on a streak, winning six in a row force overtime, and the match continued at an incredible pace in extra rounds, redeeming a largely unexciting playoffs at the Rod Laver with full octane entertainment for the Australian crowd as both teams went back-and-forth.

Clutches, smoke defuses, and nail-biting rounds went all the way to the last round of the third overtime, but in the end, not even an Incredible showing by TeSeS, who ended with over 40 frags in the decider, could decide it for his team as Vitality finally broke the deadlock, 22-20, to secure the instant classic final match.

ZywOo, with a 1.34 rating in the series and a factor for Vitality in the decider, was the highest-rated player for his team on the decider map, the highest-rated player in the final and in the tournament at large, and was awarded the HLTV MVP medal.