Vitality survive Legacy after stunning 2-10 Nuke comeback

Vitality have kept their BLAST Open Porto 2026 campaign alive after defeating Legacy 2-1 in the Group B lower bracket.

The series opened with one of the tournament’s biggest comebacks. Vitality trailed 2-10 on Nuke before forcing overtime and eventually winning 16-14. Legacy responded by taking Mirage 13-9, but Vitality recovered once more on Dust2 and closed the decider 13-8.

The victory sends Vitality into a decisive match against FUT, with a place in the playoffs on the line.

Legacy let a 10-2 Nuke lead slip away

The opening map looked almost completely lost for Vitality.

Legacy dominated the first half on Nuke and built a 10-2 advantage. Their defense repeatedly shut down Vitality’s attacks, while the European side struggled to find consistent openings.

After the side switch, however, the momentum changed completely.

• Legacy led Nuke 10-2 at halftime
• Vitality answered with a 10-2 second half
• The map went to overtime at 12-12
• Vitality eventually won 16-14

ZywOo became increasingly influential as the comeback developed and ended Nuke as the highest-rated player with a 1.37 rating and 26 kills.

Recovering from 2-10 down turned what should have been a comfortable Legacy map win into the decisive swing point of the entire series.

Legacy respond on Mirage

Legacy did not collapse immediately after the Nuke disappointment.

Their own map pick of Mirage produced a much stronger response. Vitality led 7-5 at halftime, but Legacy took control after switching sides and won eight of the next ten rounds to close the map 13-9.

The result forced Dust2 and ensured that Vitality would need another strong recovery to remain in the tournament.

Map	Vitality	Legacy
Nuke	16	14
Mirage	9	13
Dust2	13	8

The first two maps also highlighted the adjustment period Vitality are currently dealing with.

jL still adapting to Vitality system

Vitality are competing in Porto with Justinas “jL” Lekavicius standing in for William “mezii” Merriman.

HLTV noted that the roster showed clear growing pains across its T sides, particularly on Nuke and Mirage. jL is playing his first event with Vitality, meaning the lineup is still adjusting to different roles, spacing and communication.

• jL is replacing mezii at BLAST Open Porto
• Vitality have shown inconsistent T sides
• The team already suffered an opening loss to Inner Circle
• Their tournament survival now depends on beating FUT

The stand-in situation makes the comeback against Legacy more notable, but it also leaves clear tactical problems that need to be solved quickly.

Dust2 finally gives Vitality control

The deciding map was far more stable.

Dust2 reached halftime at 6-6, leaving the series completely open. Vitality then produced the stronger CT side and won seven of the final nine rounds to close the map 13-8.

Unlike Nuke, there was no need for a massive comeback.

Vitality controlled the second half more consistently, limited Legacy’s attacking opportunities and finally looked closer to the structured team expected from one of the world’s strongest lineups.

That composure was enough to finish the series.

ZywOo leads a balanced Vitality effort

ZywOo ended the best-of-three as Vitality’s highest-rated player.

He finished the series with 56 kills, 45 deaths, 78.2 ADR and a 1.19 HLTV Rating 3.0. apEX followed with a 1.13 rating, while jL finished at 1.02 and ropz at 1.00.

Those numbers are not overwhelming by Vitality’s usual standards, but the important factor was that enough players contributed across different moments.

The series required survival rather than dominance.

Legacy, meanwhile, will have significant regrets after failing to close Nuke. Winning that map would have placed them one step away from a potential 2-0 series victory.

FUT stand between Vitality and the playoffs

Vitality now face FUT in the final Group B qualification match.

The winner will secure a place in the BLAST Open Porto playoffs, while the loser is eliminated. The matchup is scheduled for August 31 at 18:30.

For Vitality, the equation is straightforward.

They survived Legacy, but their current level remains inconsistent. The team cannot afford another 2-10 start or another prolonged T-side collapse against FUT.

Assessment

Vitality’s win over Legacy was important, but it was far from convincing.

The 2-10 comeback on Nuke showed resilience and individual quality, especially from ZywOo. At the same time, falling that far behind highlights the problems created by a new stand-in structure and inconsistent attacking halves.

Legacy will view the result as a major missed opportunity. They had control of Nuke, recovered on Mirage and still entered Dust2 with a realistic chance of eliminating one of the tournament favorites.

Vitality ultimately survived because they managed the decisive moments better.

The next match against FUT will show whether this series marked the beginning of a real improvement or simply another narrow escape.