ZywOo masterclass sparks Vitality IEM Kraków 2026 victory
Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut produced the best Grand Final performance of his career to spur on Vitality to a 3-1 victory over Furia at IEM Kraków 2026.
Vitaltiy recovered from a Furia fightback on Mirage to claim Inferno, Nuke, and Overpass to win the Best of 5 Grand Final at the Tauron Arena.
The Frenchman completed his statistically best-ever big tournament in a remarkable display that reinforced his position as the best player in the world.
Vitality recover from Furia Mirage fightback
Vitality started Mirage with a perfectly judged CT-side. Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire positioned his pieces perfectly, with Shahar ‘flameZ’ Shushan producing multiple strong holds at Connector and ramp to repel Furia’s attacks.
What followed was an extraordinary fightback, which saw young AWPer Danil ‘molodoy’ Golubenko once again shine for Furia as the Brazilians took the map 13-11.
In truth, the majority of Vitality started slow on Inferno, but in came the French phenom, as ZywOo took charge, making notable solo-plays to record a 16/7 half.
On CT, ZywOo seemed to be everywhere that Furia went, shutting down Furia at Banana, on B, and when they attempted an A wrap from long.
On the rare occasions when he wasn’t perfectly positioned, the Frenchman still delivered impact in rare Inferno A takes. a 13-8 victory followed, with ZywOo recording a 25/12 statline to level the series.
Vitality display their superiority on Nuke and Overpass
In contrast to ZywOo’s hard carry on Inferno, Vitality’s pieces were completely online from the off on Nuke.
William ‘mezii’ Merriman delivered time and time again in the backsite of A, a position that the Brit has truly made his own with several notable plays from there.
Furia quickly fell to a 0-9 deficit and seemed to lack the composure to find the solutions as they were punished by Robin ‘ropz’ Kool for trying to force B ramp plays.
That deficit became a 10-2 half for Vitality, and the roster simply tapped the ball in the hole, as they took the pistol and fended off Furia’s attempts to scrounge a buy.
That 13-2 victory left Vitality with only one map needed in the series, with Overpass coming up next, but they faced the tough task of starting on the T-side.
Straight from the off, ZywOo once again made his presence felt as he completely flipped a disadvantaged pistol round to put Vitality in a strong position.
apEX delivered a 4k to turn a 2v5 on the B-site into a winning round, with flameZ’s assistance and Vitality were well on their way to victory.
At 5-0 to Vitality, a Kaike ‘KSCERATO Cerato clutch turned the game as Vitality awkwardly held the A-site while they awaited the arrival of the bomb.
Five rounds in a row for Furia led to a 6-6 half, but an even half on the most CT-sided map in the competitive map pool.
Following Furia’s pistol and conversion rounds, a quick flameZ 4k on an uncharacteristic lurk play saw Vitality take control of the contest yet again.
It seems strange to say, but Furia never looked like they were in the game on Overpass, despite tying up the game late into the map.
It was 10-10, yet the audience continued to leave their seats to congregate around the trophy in anticipation of Vitality’s victory.
Three devastatingly hesitant rounds followed from Furia’s T-side, who seemed scared of their shadows as they crawled up Overpass.
A loss to time was followed once again by incredible impact from ZywOo, who delivered two 4ks in the last two rounds of the competition.
The 13-10 victory on Overpass completed what was arguably ZywOo’s finest hour, Vitality IEM Kraków, and defending the trophy from their IEM Katowice 2025 victory.
Vitality reasserts dominance; threatens Astralis’ records
Vitality’s dominant 2025 saw the roster pick up nine big trophies, including both majors.
That year is arguably the finest year by a team in CS history, challenging Astralis’ 2018, which saw them win 10 titles, but only one Major.
While Counter-Strike fans seemingly have mixed feelings about which year is better, one undeniable edge Astralis’ peak roster had was its longevity.
The roster was the best team in the world over a two-year span, something which Vitality are well on course to emulate.
Their victory in Kraków, while not their most dominant Grand Final, was a truly beautiful display of Counter-Strike, showing the team’s capacity to once again have a dominant year.
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