FURIA edged out Astralis 2-0 to reach the semi-finals of FISSURE Playground 2 after a gritty showing in Belgrade

FURIA edged out Astralis 2-0 to reach the semi-finals of FISSURE Playground 2 after a gritty showing in Belgrade. 

Match Overview

• The quarter-final matchup featured FURIA vs Astralis, in a Best-of-3 format, played at the Belgrade Arena.

• Map selection:

  1. FURIA banned Ancient

  2. Astralis banned Dust2

  3. FURIA picked Train

  4. Astralis picked Nuke

  5. FURIA removed Overpass

  6. Astralis removed Mirage

  7. Inferno was left unused.

Map 1: Train

• FURIA secured a strong CT-side, and despite a quieter first half from Danil “molodoy” Golubenko, they achieved a dominant scoreline.

• Victor “Staehr” from Astralis produced standout multi-kills, including an early ace that helped keep them in the fight. 

• A critical pistol-round clutch from molodoy and Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato in a 2v4 scenario allowed FURIA to maintain momentum.

Final score on Train: FURIA 13 – Astralis 9. 

Map 2: Nuke

• FURIA jumped to a 5-1 lead on CT side, helped by a ten-second defuse in the second round which set the tone.

• Astralis responded strongly, making the half close, and then pushed FURIA to overtime after they recovered from a slow start on their T side.

• There were several pivotal clutches from FURIA: Yuri “yuurih” Santos pulled off a 1v2 to stop an Astralis streak; Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo made crucial plays in consecutive rounds to help force a second overtime.

• In the end, FURIA closed out Nuke with a flawless 4-0 run in the second overtime, sealing the win.

Final score on Nuke: FURIA 19 – Astralis 15. 

Implications & Quotes

• With this win, FURIA advance to the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of Falcons vs paiN.

• After the match, Mareks "YEKINDAR" Gaļinskis said the team prepared extensively, particularly for Nuke. He noted studying HooXi’s play and using that knowledge to their advantage.

• Reflecting on their progress, YEKINDAR also expressed how big this result feels, especially with strong opponents like Falcons and paiN ahead.