Team Spirit have advanced to the semifinals of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 following an impressive 2–0 sweep over Team Falcons in the quarterfinal stage. The series showcased a breakout star performance from Ivan “zweih” Gogin, who delivered one of the strongest individual displays of the entire playoffs so far.

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SPIRIT’S BREAKOUT STAR: ZWEIH TAKES OVER THE SERIES

Nuke — Complete domination (16–4)

Spirit opened the series with a commanding victory on Nuke, driven by zweih’s exceptional rifling impact. According to HLTV stats, he posted one of the highest map ratings of his career on LAN, controlling every phase of the game — from early-round duels to multi-kill anchors and mid-round initiative.

His performance allowed Spirit to quickly build momentum and shut down Falcons’ T-side attempts before they could gain footing.

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Dust2 — Massive comeback, zweih + donk decide key rounds (16–12)

Falcons started Dust2 far better, jumping to an 11–5 advantage. But Spirit engineered a disciplined comeback, anchored by:

• zweih’s high-impact entries and clutch kills,

• donk’s decisive mid-round fights,

• chopper’s calling adjustments, which shifted the pacing of both long control and mid pressure.

Spirit forced overtime-level tension, but ultimately closed the map in regulation, 16–12, sealing the 2–0 series and their semifinal ticket.

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SPIRIT’S MAJOR CAMPAIGN SO FAR

Spirit entered playoffs after an impressive Stage 3 performance, which included victories over top-tier opponents such as:

• FaZe Clan

• Team Liquid

• MOUZ

This positioned them as one of the tournament favorites — and the win over Falcons reaffirmed that status.

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FALCONS’ PLAYOFF RUN ENDS

Falcons, a roster loaded with individual talent (per HLTV profiles and recent match history), delivered moments of brilliance but could not match Spirit in mid-round consistency or strategic flexibility.

Despite competitive early rounds on Dust2, they were unable to capitalize on their lead, allowing Spirit’s structure and firepower to overturn the momentum.

Their elimination here marks the end of their Budapest Major journey.

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Zweih (Spirit) — MVP of the Quarterfinal

• Highest rating in the series

• Dominant defensive halves

• Impact kills leading to round conversions

Donk (Spirit) — High-pressure consistency

• Important late-round duels on Dust2

• Stabilized momentum during the comeback

Chopper (Spirit) — Tactical leadership

• Mid-map adjustments

• Tempo control against Falcons’ early aggression

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The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025:

• Hosted in Budapest, Hungary

• Features 32 teams

• One of the first full-cycle CS2 Majors

• Offers significant prize pool and championship implications

Spirit are now one of the four remaining contenders aiming for the title.

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✔ Team Spirit — Advanced to Semifinals

✖ Team Falcons — Eliminated in Quarterfinals