Spirit beat Vitality 2-0 to reach EWC semifinals

Spirit ended a six-match losing streak that dated to October 2024 by defeating Vitality 2-0 in the Esports World Cup quarter-finals on LAN and advanced to the semifinals.

The series opened on Anubis in a close match. Vitality recovered from an early deficit and kept the scoreline competitive at halftime, but Danil “donk” Kryshkovets produced strong fragging to give Spirit six first-half rounds. Spirit dominated the T side with a 5-0 run and closed the map in the final regulation round after a triple kill from Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich.

Nuke began in Vitality’s favour as the French side raced to a 7-1 T-side lead. Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut delivered a four-kill pistol round to set the tone. Spirit mounted a recovery once they rebuilt their economy, erasing a four-match-point deficit to force overtime. Vitality secured Nuke in the second half of overtime, highlighted by a 1v3 clutch from Shahar “flameZ” Shushan and a grenade that eliminated a low-health donk in the final regulation round.

Mirage decided the series. donk posted a 20-5 first half to put Spirit up 9-3. Spirit extended the lead in the second half, reached match point and finished the map by winning a 3v5 situation to seal the 2-0 victory.

Key individual numbers supported the result. donk finished with the highest rating on the server, while tN1R and Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov recorded strong performances for Spirit. For Vitality, flameZ, ZywOo and William “mezii” Merriman produced notable rounds but the team did not recover.

The loss marks Vitality’s third straight quarter-final exit on LAN at the Esports World Cup. Spirit move on to the semifinals; tournament organisers will confirm their opponent and the schedule.