Team Vitality Defeat Aurora 2-0 to Reach PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 Semifinals

Team Vitality Defeat Aurora 2-0 to Reach PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 Semifinals

Team Vitality have booked their place in the semifinals of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026, defeating Aurora Gaming 2-0 in their quarterfinal match on 20 February 2026. The French side delivered a controlled and convincing performance across both maps to advance deeper in one of the year’s biggest Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) events.

Vitality entered the series as clear favorites and didn’t disappoint, finishing the Best-of-Three duel with clean victories on Inferno (13-8) and Overpass (13-10) to close it out in straight maps.

Match Summary

Inferno – Map 1:
Aurora picked Inferno, hoping to gain early momentum. The first half was competitive, with Vitality edging ahead 7-5 at the break. On the CT side, the French squad remained steady, limiting Aurora’s chances and closing out the map 13-8.

Overpass – Map 2:
Vitality jumped out to a 9-3 halftime lead with a dominant Terrorist side. Aurora responded with a better attacking half but Vitality maintained control, responding to every challenge and securing a 13-10 victory and the series win.

Standout Performances & MVP

Vitality’s Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut was named MVP of the match, finishing the series with 44 kills, 103.8 ADR, and a 1.66 rating, cementing his status as one of the event’s top performers. His impact was particularly strong on Overpass, where he went 16-0 in the first eight rounds before being taken down for the first time.

Shahar “flameZ” Shushan also contributed significantly, posting a 1.51 rating as the second-highest performer for Vitality, while Robin “ropz” Kool made pivotal impact plays early on to help set up the team’s success.

From Aurora, veteran **Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş led his team with a 1.05 rating, but his impressive moments weren’t enough to swing the series back in Turkey’s favor.

Post-Match Reactions

After the win, Vitality rifler flameZ highlighted the team’s mindset heading into the semifinals: “We showed our A game even though we had a lot of people sick… Most of the time, if we play our A game, it’s going to be a trophy in the bag,” underlining Vitality’s confidence and championship ambitions.

Tournament Implications

With this victory, Vitality guarantee at least a top-four finish, advancing to the semifinals where they will face the winner of FURIA vs The MongolZ later in the playoffs. Aurora’s run ends in 5th–8th place, earning them $25,000 in prize money.

PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 runs from 14 to 22 February in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, featuring 16 teams competing for a $1,250,000 prize pool, with $225,000 awarded to the champions.

---

Final Series Score:

Team Vitality 2 – 0 Aurora Gaming
Inferno: 13-8
Overpass: 13-10