FURIA clinch final spot in EPL Stage 2 as YEKINDAR delivers clutch performance

FURIA clinch final spot in EPL Stage 2 as YEKINDAR delivers clutch performance

FURIA have secured the last remaining berth in ESL Pro League Season 22 Stage 2, narrowly defeating B8 in the fifth and deciding round of Stage 1. 

The two teams played their vetoes — B8 chose Mirage and FURIA chose Inferno — before the match moved to a decisive Overpass. In that final map, Latvian rifler Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis stepped up when it mattered most. Trailing 0-5 on the CT side, FURIA appeared on the brink, but YEKINDAR’s timely push through Fountain sparked the comeback. He then racked up several opening kills and pulled off a clutch 1v1 to salvage a 6-6 half. 

On the T side, he continued to carry his team, finishing with eight opening kills, eight multikills, a 27-12 stat line, 126 ADR, and a +10.93% swing, resulting in a 2.15 map rating. 

FURIA's road to Stage 2 has been shaky. Though they entered Stage 1 as one of the two biggest favorites (alongside G2), they too had to fight through the final round to progress. (G2 advanced over ENCE in their match-up.) 

With this victory, FURIA will join the world’s top teams in Stage 2, although their first match is yet to be determined pending the team-selected seeding process. 

For B8, the end of the road in this stage still offers consolation: they earned 47 points on the Valve Regional Standings, which positions them well within qualification range for the StarLadder Budapest Major’s first stage.