YEKINDAR on IEM Chengdu 2025 Final: “So Many Rounds Were Saved From Nowhere”

10.11.2025 - 07:02

YEKINDAR on IEM Chengdu 2025 Final: “So Many Rounds Were Saved From Nowhere”

FURIA rifler Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis says the IEM Chengdu 2025 grand final against Team Vitality was won thanks to his teammates “pulling rounds out of completely lost situations” — and that he still can’t believe how far the team has come over the past year.

YEKINDAR’s Reaction: “At a Loss for Words”

After FURIA’s commanding 3–0 victory over Vitality in the IEM Chengdu 2025 grand final, YEKINDAR shared his emotions in a Telegram voice message.
He emphasized that every map was a battle, and many rounds were “saved from nowhere.”

“All three maps felt extremely difficult. There were so many moments the team just pulled out of completely hopeless positions,” he said.
“I’m at a loss for words. After everything that happened last year, it’s hard to believe this is real.”

Despite the clean scoreline, YEKINDAR’s comments reveal just how close the series actually was.

Grand Final Breakdown

The championship series ended 3–0 in favor of FURIA, with each map decided by narrow margins:

Ancient – 13:11 FURIA

Inferno – 13:10 FURIA

Overpass – 13:11 FURIA

Lineups:

FURIA: YEKINDAR, molodoy, FalleN, KSCERATO, yuurih

Vitality: ZywOo, flameZ, mezii, apEX, ropz

FURIA earned $125,000 for first place, while Vitality took $50,000. Team Falcons finished third after beating MOUZ 2–1, earning $30,000.

The event took place in Chengdu, China, from November 3–9, featuring 16 teams and a $300,000 prize pool, plus $700,000 distributed among partner organizations.

Analysts described the result as a “breakthrough trophy” for the new FURIA core with YEKINDAR and Danil “molodoy” Golubenko, after they eliminated The MongolZ and Falcons in the playoffs before sweeping Vitality in the final.

Molodoy: MVP and Confident Debut at the Top

FURIA’s 18-year-old AWPer Danil “molodoy” Golubenko was named MVP of IEM Chengdu 2025, his second career MVP medal.

He finished the tournament with a 1.27 rating across 14 maps, performing above 1.0 on 12 of them.

“It’s my first win at a truly big LAN, and it feels amazing,” molodoy said after the match. “The team trusts me, and that makes it easy to stay confident — even against giants like Vitality.”

In an English interview, he explained his influence over the team’s map veto:

“When I joined FURIA, I said that we needed to play Ancient… We were ready to take risks today.”

That call paid off — Ancient, FURIA’s pick, set the tone for their dominant run through the final.

Vitality’s Response: “We Lost to the Better Team”

For Team Vitality, the loss was difficult to digest.

Rifler William “mezii” Merriman said the team “had chances on every map,” but ultimately, “the better team won.”

In-game leader Dan “apEX” Madesclaire apologized to fans, calling the defeat “painful,” but vowed to keep pushing:

“We’ll keep working and lifting more trophies. Congratulations to FURIA — they deserved this one.”

Vitality will next travel to Hong Kong for their upcoming event.

YEKINDAR’s Road to the Trophy

YEKINDAR’s journey through Chengdu had several storylines even before the grand final.

Ahead of the semifinal, he called Team Falcons “one of the most dangerous teams right now,” noting their strong form and individual firepower. Despite previous narrow wins against them, he warned that nothing would come easily.

FURIA went on to sweep Falcons 2–0, with standout performances from yuurih and FalleN.

Earlier in the group stage, YEKINDAR revealed that he had played against MOUZ while suffering from food poisoning — yet still managed to post strong stats. His recovery in time for the playoffs and performance in the final (1.26 rating) made the victory even more remarkable.

FURIA’s 2025 Rise

The Chengdu triumph capped off a defining year for the new FURIA lineup. The team had already claimed titles at FISSURE Playground #2 and the Thunderpick World Championship 2025, but Chengdu marked their first Intel Extreme Masters victory.

At Thunderpick, FURIA pulled off a stunning reverse sweep against NAVI after being down 0–2, a comeback YEKINDAR credited to FalleN’s leadership and composure.

With their flawless playoff run in Chengdu — 2–0 vs The MongolZ, 2–0 vs Falcons, 3–0 vs Vitality — FURIA have now firmly established themselves among the world’s elite.

ESL highlighted the victory as the team’s first IEM title, with a roaring Chinese crowd celebrating their success — a fitting scene for YEKINDAR’s emotional remark: