Vitality’s red-hot form carried seamlessly from their ESL Pro League championship into the BLAST Open Lisbon, where they dismantled Astralis in a decisive 2-0 victory to kick off Group A. The European powerhouse extended their flawless streak to 12 consecutive series wins, showing no signs of slowing down.
Astralis made a questionable choice by picking Inferno against a Vitality side that has looked nearly untouchable on the map, winning eight straight. That decision backfired heavily as the Danes managed to win only four rounds, none coming from structured play. Their only success stemmed from both pistol rounds, a single round conversion, and a lone clutch by Victor Staehr. Every member of Vitality closed the map with ratings exceeding 1.30, underlining the one-sided affair.
The second map, Dust2, offered more of the same. While Staehr again delivered isolated moments of resistance with another clutch and a few impactful frags, it was not enough to overcome the void left by Casper “cadiaN” Møller’s performance. The Astralis captain had a night to forget, posting a disastrous 1-15 K-D on Dust2 and finishing the series with just seven kills across two maps. His 0.34 rating on Dust2 became the third-worst LAN map of his career, further tarnished by Vitality also handing him his second-worst performance in a 13-0 loss last year.
Vitality were relentless. ZywOo added another ace to his highlight reel, while ropz showcased his precision with an instant headshot on device. The win pushed Astralis to the lower bracket, and if FaZe emerge victorious in their match, the Danes may end up facing Virtus.pro in an elimination match. That outcome could have serious consequences for Astralis’ hopes of avoiding the Europe Major Regional Qualifier.
Currently sitting ninth on the Valve Regional Standings in Europe, Astralis cling to the last auto-invite slot for Stage 2 of the BLAST.tv Austin Major. With 3DMAX, GamerLegion, and Virtus.pro close behind, a last-place finish in Lisbon might bump them down the ranking, especially if Virtus.pro manage a solid run.
As for Vitality, the conversation around their current dominance is growing louder. Since the arrival of ropz at the beginning of the year, they’ve lost only one series out of 15 — and that came in their LAN debut at BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals. With a near-untouchable 30-5 map record, Vitality are looking like an unstoppable force.
Their numbers only reinforce the narrative: a 58.6% success rate in pistol rounds, nearly 83% in round two conversions, and a staggering 37.9% rate of breaking opponents in round two. They have not just been winning — they have been setting a pace and level few teams can handle.
