Astralis managed to stay in the running at the EU RMR B tournament after defeating Eternal Fire in a tense 1-2 pool matchup. The Danish squad recovered from a poor performance on their map pick and a rocky start on the second map to mount a reverse sweep, keeping their hopes alive for a spot in the Shanghai Major.
This hard-fought victory follows two close elimination series for Astralis. Their next challenge will be a face-off against Passion UA, the tournament’s surprise standout, with a potential seventh-place decider awaiting if they secure another win.
For Eternal Fire, this loss marks a bitter end to their campaign, especially given their historic achievement just eight months prior as the first Turkish team to make it to the playoffs of a Major. Reflecting on the outcome, Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli expressed his disappointment, acknowledging the team’s struggles throughout the tournament and thanking fans for their support despite their poor showing.
Astralis began the series with a Vertigo pick, a map that had previously brought them success at the BLAST World Final. However, Eternal Fire quickly took control, racing to a 7-1 lead. While Astralis recovered somewhat, bringing the score to 7-5 by the half, they faltered after a wasted 4v2 advantage in the pistol round. Eternal Fire capitalized on this momentum, closing out the map convincingly.
The situation looked even grimmer for Astralis on Dust2, where a clutch play from Buğra “Calyx” Arkın in the pistol round, following a missed knife attempt by Casper “cadiaN” Møller, gave Eternal Fire an early boost. The Turkish side extended their lead to 5-1 before Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard’s standout performance helped Astralis claw their way back. The Danes carried their momentum into the second half, executing a flawless streak of rounds to reach map point. Although Eternal Fire showed some resistance, their efforts came too late to shift the outcome.
The decisive map on Inferno became a nerve-wracking contest filled with errors from both sides. Following a close first half, Eternal Fire gained an 11-8 lead with a strong showing. However, Astralis tightened their defense and gradually regained control, securing the map in the final round of regulation with a resolute hold on the A site.
Astralis’ victory extends their tournament run, but the defeat signals the end of Eternal Fire’s journey, underscoring the highs and lows of competitive Counter-Strike.
