At the Semi-finals stage, the cost of every unsuccessful stretch sharply increases, as one series separates a team from the main match of the tournament. Aurora managed to challenge the opponent at the start, but afterward the series gradually moved under Vitality’s control.
Tournament context
After Group Play, ESL Pro League Season 24 continues in the Playoffs with a single elimination Bo3 system, while the Grand final will be played in a Bo5 format. The winner of the Semi-finals gets a place in the final, while the losing team moves to the Tiebreaker for third place.
Aurora and Vitality met in the first semifinal. Aurora started the match well and confidently took their own Anubis, but Vitality responded on Cache, then closed the decisive Mirage and completed the comeback in the series.
How the match unfolded — Aurora vs Vitality
Series score: 2:1 in favor of Vitality
- Anubis (pick Aurora) — 13:7 in favor of Aurora
Aurora successfully converted their own map pick and created a comfortable advantage from the very beginning. The team consistently controlled the course of Anubis and did not allow Vitality to bring intrigue back in the closing stage. - Cache (pick Vitality) — 13:7 in favor of Vitality
On their own pick, Vitality quickly answered the opponent. The team played the key stretches of the map better, did not allow Aurora to build on their success after Anubis, and sent the series to the decisive Mirage. - Mirage (decider) — 13:8 in favor of Vitality
On the third map, Vitality maintained the tempo they had gained and gradually secured their advantage. Aurora stayed in the fight, but in the decisive rounds, the French-European roster was more stable and closed the series 2:1.
Player of the Match — Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (Vitality)
- K–D: 52–36
- ADR: 83.4
- Rating 3.0: 1.44
Key contribution: ZywOo became Vitality’s most consistent player throughout the entire series, finished the match with a large positive frag difference, and maintained high impact on the two winning maps.
VRS results
- Vitality — +12 pt → 1968 pt
The victory brought Vitality 12 ranking points and moved the team from 3rd to 2nd place in VRS. Along with advancing to the Grand final, this makes the semifinal victory especially important in both the tournament and ranking context. - Aurora — -19 pt → 1810 pt
The loss cost Aurora 19 ranking points and dropped the team from 5th to 6th place in VRS. At the same time, the tournament is not over for the roster yet — the third-place match still lies ahead.
What’s next?
Vitality advance to the Grand final of ESL Pro League Season 24, where they will face the winner of the second Semi-finals between Spirit and MOUZ. The final series will determine the champion of the tournament.
Aurora move to the Tiebreaker for third place, where they will face the team that loses in the Spirit — MOUZ matchup. For Aurora, this is the last opportunity to finish the tournament with a victory and take third place.
Match summary
Aurora opened the series well and confidently took Anubis, but Vitality did not allow the opponent to build on their early advantage. On Cache, the team quickly leveled the score, after which on Mirage they were already the ones dictating the tempo of the decisive part of the match.
Vitality’s main individual force was ZywOo with a 1.44 rating and a 52–36 K–D. As a result, Vitality earned a 2:1 victory, +12 VRS points, and a place in the Grand final, while Aurora lost 19 ranking points and will continue ESL Pro League Season 24 in the Tiebreaker.
