Vitality have started the ESL Pro Tour 2022 with a bang.
Team Vitality defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas 3-0 in the Grand Finals of Intel Extreme Masters Winter tournament.
CONGRATULATIONS @TeamVitality 🎉🎉🎉🎉
THEY LIFT THE #IEM Winter 2021 Trophy!! pic.twitter.com/thrq9XL6K8
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) December 12, 2021
The ESL Pro Tour has begun with the opening of the IEM Winter tournament and the French side has gained a significant advantage. Here is a brief look to the action between the two brilliant finalists.
Team Vitality Vs Ninjas in Pyjamas
Vitality and NiP had a fierce battle in the first match on Inferno, where the Frenchmen took 7 rounds and NiP were leading by a single round. After getting the T-side in the second half, Vitality played a lot better and took sites with confidence. The second half saw incredible plays from Vitality, outplaying NiP into a 10-16 defeat.
The second match on Dust 2 saw NiP conceding yet another defeat with a 10-16 scoreline. The first half was neck to neck with Vitality who were playing T-side. However, NiP concluded the half brilliantly with a 9-6 scoreline. The Swedish side tried hard to raid the sites in the second half but couldn’t do enough to keep the game in their favor.
The deciding match was on Nuke. Vitality took a clear 6-3 lead in the beginning, playing as CT. However, NiP didn’t sit quietly and responded well by clinching seven rounds against eight of Vitality. The second half started with Vitality widening the lead. After winning 13 round against 9 of NiP, Vitality started having a little difficulty in piercing the Swedish defence. At 13-15, Ninjas were two rounds behind starting an overtime, but the French clinched victory and lifted their first trophy of the year.
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut; MVP
ZywOo’s aim was crisp throughout the tournament and he played exceptionally well in the Grand Finals. According to stats from HLTV, ZywOo had a 1.27 rating across the 14 maps he played and the 21-year-old also topped other areas like Kill-Death difference and clutches in the tour. This will add to ZywOo’s collection of 11 MVP medals in his career.
Vitality will now face a tough challenge in the BLAST World Finals, where they will face NAVI, Astralis, Gambit and maybe have a rematch against NiP at some stage.
Feature Image: ESL
