Team Spirit made a commanding start at BLAST Open Lisbon 2025, sweeping aside The Huns with minimal resistance in their opening match. Despite a shaky beginning on Anubis, where they trailed 5-7 at halftime, the Russian squad quickly regained control and never looked back. This encounter marked The Huns’ first appearance at a major event of this scale, and the experience proved to be a harsh initiation into top-tier Counter-Strike competition.
Anubis initially hinted at the possibility of an upset, with The Huns capitalizing on Spirit’s slower start and managing to put together a decent first-half showing. However, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets soon flipped the script with a dominant offensive display that completely dismantled the Mongolian defense. Spirit’s young star was relentless on T side, notching a staggering 2.76 rating and 158.4 ADR in the second half of Anubis alone, compensating for a modest CT-side performance.
Spirit’s success wasn’t just about donk’s firepower. Boris “magixx” Vorobiev stepped up when needed, delivering key 1v1 clutch wins during the first half of Anubis to keep Spirit from falling too far behind. These individual efforts helped Spirit survive their early hiccups and set the tone for a much more dominant showing on Dust2, where the match quickly spiraled out of reach for The Huns.
Dust2 saw Spirit surge to a 12-1 lead before The Huns managed to produce their brightest moment of the day. Yesuntumur “nin9” Gantulga pulled off a remarkable 1v4 clutch with the Deagle, a play that stood out as one of the most electrifying highlights of the tournament so far. Even though his team was thoroughly outmatched, nin9’s moment of brilliance offered a brief spark amid a rough outing.
While Spirit’s eyes are now set on a tougher upper-bracket showdown against the winner of MOUZ vs. Falcons, The Huns will have to regroup quickly ahead of their lower-bracket match. For the Mongolian lineup, especially for rookies Anarbileg “cobra” Uuganbayar and Bilegsaihan “Veccil” Riina, this tournament represents a steep learning curve, given their limited LAN experience.
The Huns only found their way into the event due to a suspension handed down to ATOX, the team they had previously lost to in the BLAST Rising Asia final. Their sudden promotion to this high-level environment has been as unforgiving as it has been instructive. Despite some solid moments from their captain nin9—including a pair of smart clutches on Anubis—The Huns were clearly outpaced across both maps.
Though the overall result wasn’t close, the match leaves Spirit with confidence and momentum moving deeper into the tournament, while The Huns will take valuable lessons from their debut. As for nin9’s unforgettable Deagle clutch, it may not have changed the outcome, but it undoubtedly left its mark.
