Mirage started as a seemingly one-sided affair, with Falcons dominating the first half on their T-side. degster and kyxsan spearheaded an aggressive offensive, consistently winning opening duels and keeping Virtus.pro on the back foot. VP struggled to respond early but gained momentum on their T side, winning key force-buy rounds that nearly pushed the map to overtime. However, degster’s crucial 3k hold on B Apartments shut down their comeback, securing Falcons the map.
Ancient followed a familiar script, with Falcons taking early control by exploiting VP’s weak T-side, building a 9-3 lead at the switch. However, their own offensive struggles allowed VP to stage a comeback, repeatedly winning key rounds to force overtime. After a grueling back-and-forth, FL4MUS’s 31-kill performance sealed a 19-16 victory for VP, pushing the match to a deciding Inferno.
Inferno was another heartbreak for Falcons. They led 7-5 at halftime and extended it to 12-5 on defense, but for the third time in the series, VP clawed back. Slowly but surely, they chipped away at Falcons’ lead, forcing yet another overtime. Despite multiple chances to close it out, Falcons faltered, and after three overtimes, VP sealed the series with a crushing 22-20 win.
Falcons showed strong potential throughout the series, often dominating early stages of each mpa. However, their inability to close out games proved costly, as they let significant leads slip away on both Ancient and Inferno. Costly lapses in focus, repeated struggles against VP’s contact plays, and a failure to adjust to their opponents’ relentless pressure ultimately sealed their fate.
Following an encouraging grand finals run at PGL Cluj-Napoca, Falcons have now suffered back-to-back tournament disappointments, raising concerns about their regression after a very promising start to the year.
Meanwhile, Virtus.pro faced deficits on every map, but kept showing remarkable resilience to claw their way back into the fight and turn the series in their favor. Had VP failed to capitalize on their win against FaZe, they risked jeopardizing their deep tournament run and VRS points. With this victory, however, Virtus.pro advance to the lower bracket final against Spirit on March 24.
