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Team Vitality suffers terrible defeat on first day of BLAST Premier Spring Final

The BLAST Premier Spring Final 2023 is already underway, and the eight participating teams have already played their first... Eduardo | 8. June 2023

The BLAST Premier Spring Final 2023 is already underway, and the eight participating teams have already played their first matches of the tournament. As in every great tournament and as we have become accustomed to in recent months, in Group A, we had a very pleasant surprise to witness the terrible defeat of Team Vitality against Imperial Esports.

There is no doubt that Team Vitality, currently ranked #1 in the World Ranking, came in as favourites to beat Imperial and win the tournament. However, Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo and his Imperial Esports prevented them from doing so, at least for now.

This is a tough setback for this team that comes from a formidable performance in the Paris Major that saw them lift the champions trophy. In addition, the team also had two weeks off for this tournament, so exhaustion may not be the cause of the defeat.

Imperial Esports kicks off the BLAST Premier Spring Final with a bang

The reality is that Imperial Esports has a 2023 season to forget. So far this year, FalleN and his boys have only had good results in the BLAST Premier: Spring American Showdown 2023 and the ESL Brasil Premier League Season 14. The team has not performed well in the other top-level tournaments they have participated in.

However, we all know the capabilities and qualities that one of the legends of the game and current IGL of Imperial, FalleN, has. The 32-year-old Brazilian managed to make a 180° change in his team for this tournament, as a victory against Team Vitality to secure the playoffs on the first day is an exceptional achievement.

Likewise, we can’t overlook the performance of Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes in this match, as he had 96.0 ADR and a 1.51 Rating.

Imperial vs. Vitality – Game Recap

Everything pointed to Team Vitality being the comfortable winner of this match, as their most recent win at the Paris Major and current form make them undoubtedly the best team in the world. However, Imperial Esports had an ace to use in this BLAST Premier Spring Final.

It all started in Overpass, Imperial’s map pick, where the Brazilians more than proved why they selected this map. Starting on the T side, Imperial got an excellent victory in the first half by 12-3. This undoubtedly boosted the morale of a team coming into this tournament with confidence. Finally, Imperial closed the map with an excellent and crushing 16-3 victory.

On the second map, Vertigo, everything was completely different, as Team Vitality woke up and wanted to make its presence felt in the series. However, the match’s outcome was the same: Imperial Esports’s victory.

It all started with Imperial winning the first half with a solid 9-6, a score that gave them the confidence to face the second half in the best possible way. However, Team Vitality woke up after being 7-14 down on the scoreboard to place 14-15 after winning seven of the next eight rounds. Finally, Imperial won the last round of the map to take the 16-14 victory and seal their ticket to the tournament playoffs.

Header: BLAST