MOUZ, Spirit Claim Dominant 2-0 Wins
MOUZ and Team Spirit have advanced to the semifinals of the BLAST Open Spring after delivering impressive 2-0 victories over G2 Esports and Natus Vincere (NaVi), respectively. These quarterfinal matchups held in Lisbon showcased the dominant performances of both teams, securing their places in the next stage of the tournament.
In a rematch of their recent ESL Pro League S21 encounter, MOUZ once again proved to be G2 Esports’ nemesis. Entering the event as favorites as predicted by esports betting platforms, Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin’s squad lived up to expectations, seamlessly sweeping the series without significant challenges.
SEMI-FINALS SECURED FOR @MOUSESPORTS ✅ #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/bVt6JuZSi9
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) March 28, 2025
Dorian “xertioN” Berman emerged as the standout performer in this Counter-Strike 2 series, boasting a staggering 1.83 rating and 120 Average Damage per Round (ADR) across the maps of Inferno and Nuke. His superiority in banana control on Inferno was highlighted by an impressive ten opening kills against Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa. This dominance carried over to Nuke, where xertioN executed several high-impact multi-kills that were pivotal to his team’s success.
“For me, it’s about confidence and putting in the work,” xertioN shared during the broadcast. “I’ve grown a lot this year—both mentally and in-game—thanks to the people around me.”
Conversely, G2 Esports appeared out of sync during their first arena match with the newly formed roster. Despite fleeting moments of brilliance from Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, G2 struggled to regain momentum. Critical missteps, including losing rounds where they held a man advantage, coupled with stage jitters, hindered their performance. Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski acknowledged, “We weren’t the same team as usual. There were misunderstandings and perhaps some stress on stage.”
With this victory, MOUZ advances to face Eternal Fire in a highly-anticipated semifinal, featuring two of 2025’s most promising contenders and marking their first clash this season.
Similarly, Team Spirit displayed their title-contending capabilities in a resounding 2-0 victory over NaVi, with match scores of Dust2 (13-7) and Anubis (13-6). This win marks Spirit’s third triumph against Aleksi ‘Aleksib’ Virolainen’s squad within the year.
Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets and Dmitry ‘sh1ro’ Sokolov reaffirmed their roles as the formidable engines of this Spirit roster, skillfully blending raw firepower with tactical precision.
SEMI-FINALS SECURED FOR @TEAM__SPIRIT ✅ #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/VPd7tjVrsF
— BLAST Premier 💥 (@BLASTPremier) March 28, 2025
On Dust2, Team Spirit’s aggressive B-heavy strategy effectively penetrated the NaVi defense, while Boris ‘magixx’ Vorobiev’s outstanding P250 triple kill in the second half thwarted any potential comeback attempts. NaVi’s choice of Anubis backfired, proving disastrous due to their lack of recent practice on the map, leading them to fall behind early and remain unable to recover.
Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy, typically a dependable player, had a subpar performance, finishing with a 0.79 rating—the lowest of his career on LAN. Even Mihai “iM” Ivan, usually their highest-rated player, managed a meager 0.95 rating this time around. “We didn’t find that spark,” Aleksib commented post-match. “It felt like we were two steps behind the whole game. They just played better than us.”
Next, Team Spirit will face a formidable challenge against a sizzling Vitality squad, who come into the match riding a remarkable 14-match win streak.
The BLAST Open Spring semifinals are set to take place on Saturday, presenting an engaging lineup featuring MOUZ versus Eternal Fire, accompanied by the thrilling series between Team Vitality and Team Spirit. Stay tuned for what promises to be an electrifying continuation of the tournament.
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