FURIA beats 9z as yuurih wins four clutches

FURIA defeated 9z in the playoffs of the IEM Cologne Major at LANXESS Arena in Cologne, closing the map Mirage. Yuri “yuurih” Santos won four clutch rounds during the map.

After the match, yuurih told reporters he “just went crazy” in the pistol round, reading an opponent on the stairs to secure a 2v1 finish. He acknowledged later mistakes, saying “I played bad” and that the team lost a force-buy.

He credited teammates for support across the map and said their play made the clutches possible. He referenced FURIA’s clutch-driven results last year, adding: “We were winning everything, even against Vitality. Now, we have been winning clutches again.”

On his individual form, yuurih explained he has struggled on the Terrorist side since the start of the year, contrasting that with last year when he was the team’s strongest T-side player. He said his Counter-Terrorist play has remained solid and that team-level performance helps his T-side confidence.

FURIA will play Aurora next. Yuurih described FURIA’s half of the bracket as the “easier” side but warned that Aurora has shown strong play at the Major: “They are showing good CS here at the Major, so of course it will be really tough. But we know that we can win and go to the finals,” he added.

The victory advances FURIA to the next playoff match and keeps the team in the late stages of the Major. Organizers placed FURIA on the side of the bracket that avoided several top-ranked teams until the later rounds.