Astralis vs FURIA – IEM Cologne 2025 Stage 1 Upper Bracket Quarterfinal

FURIA secured a confident 2–0 victory over Astralis in the upper bracket quarterfinals of Stage 1 at IEM Cologne 2025. The Brazilian squad edged out a close win on Nuke before shutting down Astralis on Dust2 with a dominant CT side. Star rifler KSCERATO led the way with a 1.47 rating and 95.8 ADR, while YEKINDAR added crucial multi-kills across both maps. Astralis exit the upper bracket and drop to the lower bracket, while FURIA move on to face the winner of Liquid vs FlyQuest.

Map 1 – Nuke (13:11 FURIA)

Astralis started strong on their CT side, with device pulling off several key AWP picks to help secure a 7:5 half. However, FURIA adapted quickly on the defense, led by KSCERATO’s triple-kill hold on ramp and clutch moments from YEKINDAR. The Brazilian side closed out the map 13:11, capitalizing on a late misplay by Astralis in the final two rounds.

Map 2 – Dust2 (13:9 FURIA)

Dust2 was FURIA ’s playground, as they raced to an 8:1 lead on the CT side behind YEKINDAR’s sharp aim and aggressive mid control. Although Astralis rallied with a few rounds thanks to Staehr and device, the comeback fell short. KSCERATO ended the map with 24 headshots across the series and led all players with a +17 K/D differential.

Standout Performers

• KSCERATO: 45–28 K-D, 1.47 rating, 95.8 ADR
• YEKINDAR: 38–31 K-D, 1.15 rating, 89.9 ADR
• device (Astralis): 34–16 K-D, 1.22 rating, 81.7 ADR

Astralis now move to the lower bracket, where they will face an elimination match. FURIA advance further in Stage 1, showing strong form ahead of the playoff race.

Other matches on July 25 include 3DMAX vs TYLOO and Heroic vs Virtus.pro in the lower bracket.

IEM Cologne 2025 is held in Cologne, Germany, featuring 16 teams in Stage 1 (July 23–25), Stage 2 (July 26–30), and Playoffs (August 1–3). The prize pool is $28,000, with the top 3 teams earning $12,000, $8,000, and $5,000 respectively.