I’ve got to admit that I’m loving PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, with exciting matches and even a few surprising upsets here and there. The Quarter-Finals of the event have provided even more of that excitement – let’s see how it has all gone down after another day of action.
MOUZ sweep paiN Gaming aside
Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | PGL
The first match of the PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 Quarter-Finals was MOUZ vs. paiN Gaming, with Brollan looking to secure his first Semi-Finals berth as IGL of the team. MOUZ did manage to get it done in two, although both maps were 13:11 contests – just two rounds away from going the other way.
For paiN Gaming, it was only really IGL biguzera who showed up to play – the rest went missing under the bright lights of the stage. It was the opposite situation for MOUZ, all four of its stars delivered big time in the fragging department, allowing Brollan to take a step back and get his calls right. Regardless of what happens next, it’s an impressive showing from MOUZ in their first CS2 tournament with Spinx on the team.
Astralis provide The MongolZ shock
Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | PGL
By far the biggest shock of the PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 Playoffs so far came in Astralis vs. The MongolZ, where the latter came in as heavy favorites. Astralis hadn’t won a series on stage since IEM Cologne 2023, leaving The MongolZ set for what should have been an easy win on paper.
Luckily for Astralis, Counter-Strike isn’t played on paper – it’s played on stages. Under the bright lights, The MongolZ faltered, collapsing in a surprisingly straightforward 2:0 series in favor of the days. Every Astralis player had their moments, but it was dev1ce and Staehr who impressed me the most here. Astralis, debuting a new jersey showcasing their four Major stars front and center, showed The MongolZ what it takes to win.
Falcons fly in tight Eternal Fire contest
Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | PGL
This is one I got spot-on in my preview of the PGL Cluj-Napoca Quarter-Finals. Falcons and Eternal Fire are two teams more than capable of winning this event, and will feel slightly aggrieved to have faced one another as early as the Quarter-Finals. On the day, it was Falcons who came out on top, taking Eternal Fire 2:1 in a very competitive series.
For Falcons, the win condition was more of the same. NiKo and degster had to go above and beyond, single-handedly winning tons of rounds between them to get Falcons over the line. That’s the kind of star power you pay for when you throw around the big bucks for the flashiest names.
FaZe deliver expected SAW victory
Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | PGL
It’s difficult to have too much to say about this series. We all know SAW are a dead team post-Cluj-Napoca, and so their series against FaZe Clan was only ever going to go one way: an easy 2:0. That’s pretty much what we got, with FaZe wiping the floor with the Portuguese roster without much trouble.
Most would have FaZe Clan as favorites to go on and win PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 (myself included), and this was just a nice opportunity for the team to go out and get some reps on Ancient and Nuke. Target practice, really.