Vitality eliminate Astralis from IEM Chengdu and advance to the semifinals thanks to flameZ’s stellar performance

Vitality confidently defeated Astralis in the IEM Chengdu 2025 quarterfinals with a 2:1 scoreline. After winning on Inferno and the decisive Mirage, the French team secured their place in the semifinals, where they will face Falcons. The MVP of the match was flameZ, who finished with a 1.35 rating.

Inferno (13:7 Vitality)

The first map of the quarterfinal ended in favor of Vitality. The French squad started strong on the T side, closing the first half at 8:4. In the second half, Astralis managed to win the first three rounds on offense but failed to maintain momentum and ultimately fell 7:13.

Nuke (16:14 Astralis)

Astralis struck back with a victory on Nuke. The first half was evenly matched, as both teams showed solid play and refused to give up any easy rounds. In the second half, Vitality reached match point on the T side, but device and his team pushed the game into overtime. There, Astralis managed to snatch victory and close the map 16:14.

Mirage (13:7 Vitality)

The deciding map, Mirage, began with a tense back-and-forth. Vitality’s aggressive offense was met by strong defensive play from Astralis, resulting in a 6:6 halftime score. However, once sides switched, Astralis completely lost focus, winning only one round on the attack — allowing Vitality to claim the 13:7 victory and the series.

Match MVP

The best player of the match was flameZ. His aggressive T-side entries and clutch wins were crucial to Vitality’s success. flameZ’s stats: ADR — 91.5, Swing +3.54%, and a 1.35 rating.

Astralis exit the tournament in 5th–6th place, earning $12,500 in team prize money and $60,000 for the organization. Vitality advance to the semifinals, where they will face Falcons. IEM Chengdu runs from November 3 to 9 with a total prize pool of $1 million — $300,000 distributed among teams and $700,000 allocated to organizations.