MOUZ are your champions at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, bringing over a week of excellent Counter-Strike to a close in Romania. Falcons hate-watchers were served up a treat here, as they fell at the final hurdle in their hunt for their first-ever piece of Counter-Strike silverware. Here’s how the action unfolded in front of an electric crowd in Cluj-Napoca.
MOUZ win first trophy of Brollan IGL era
Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | PGL
In the main event of the day, MOUZ were able to crush Falcons in a 3:1 series that the latter will be annoyed did not at least go to a fifth map decider. Personally, I had Falcons taking this one, assuming their map pool was slightly superior – mandatory in NY best-of-five win. Instead, it’s MOUZ who pick up their first trophy of the Brollan IGL era, completing the feat in their first attempt with Spinx on the lineup. That’s the difference a world-class lurker can make on the server.
For MOUZ, the question was always whether their stars could conquer their stage nerves in the PGL Cluj-Napoca Final. Their individual quality was never in any doubt, but if there were any nerves, I didn’t see them here. The biggest upgrade in this department was xertioN, who put on a Counter-Strike clinic on the way to picking up the trophy. All too often, he has disappeared in the most important moments, but he’ll not face that accusation here.
In the 2025 CS2 calendar, most wouldn’t have PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 as the most prestigious of events. That won’t matter one iota to MOUZ, who were awesome on their way to glory. Now, let’s see them use this win as a springboard to bigger and better things.
Thrilling third-place decider kills argument for showmatches
Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | PGL
We all know that showmatches can be a great way to set the stage for a Grand Final. But Astralis vs. FaZe Clan in the third-place decider has proven that something with stakes will always provide a better contest than a showmatch, effectively killing the argument in the first return to the format in some time for the competitive CS scene.
For Astralis, there was still plenty on the line here. A win guaranteed a $150,000 cash prize at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, which goes a long way to securing their place at the next Major. You could see how much it mattered straight from map one, which went a marathon five overtimes as FaZe Clan emerged 28:24 victors. Astralis weren’t helped by dev1ce, who had to run off stage mid-overtime to throw up. That he managed to battle through illness to see out the series in impressive fashion is a testament to his quality.
On the next two maps, we saw what Astralis are really made of, battling back with a reverse sweep to secure their best placement at a Tier 1 event since 2021. You could see what it meant to Astralis, and how frustrating it was for FaZe to lose on the other side. Sorry showmatches, but hopefully, your time is up.