Team Vitality demolish Falcons to win ESL Pro League S22

Team Vitality have flexed their considerable muscle to dismiss Team Falcons 3-0 in the grand final of ESL Pro League Season 22 in Malaysia on Sunday. 

Vitality’s victory is their eighth major Counter-Strike 2 trophy in 2025 and puts them back ahead of the pack, with IEM Chengdue and Budapest Major just around the corner. 

While their star man Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut was not the dominant force he was in the semi-finals, he was awarded the Season 22 MVP title, marking the 28th time he has won an individual accolade.  

“It means a lot for the team. We wanted to win at least one tournament for the second part of this season, and we did it in a good way. I’m really happy for that, and I’m really happy for the team,” he said.

Vitality entered the clash at about even money with Falcons, but many observers were backing them to go up another notch in the grand final and they did not disappoint. 

In a high-stakes Best-of-5 final, Vitality defeated Falcons 3-0. The map order was Inferno, Train, and Dust2. 

On Inferno, Vitality edged out Falcons 13-10 (6-6; 4-7 rounds). Despite a tight first half (6–6), Vitality’s CT side pulled ahead, securing the map. 

In the second map Train, Vitality again won 13-9, showing more control on both sides. 

 The third map, Dust2, was more lopsided: 13-5 in Vitality’s favor. 

From a player perspective, Shahar “flameZ” Shushan was the star for Vitality. Across all maps, he posted 62-41 K-D, a +21 differential, with a 102.6 ADR and was credited with 1.60 rating. On individual maps, he even had a 116.8 ADR on one map. He was awarded Player of the Match with 78.6% of votes. 

On Falcons’ side, m0NESY posted 51-42 (+9), ADR 78.1, 1.29 rating. NiKo also had solid contributions: 46-46, ADR ~93.5, rating ~1.19. However, their support players (kyousuke, TeSeS, kyxsan) struggled, all being negative in kill-differential across the match. 

Overall, Vitality’s strength lay in consistency, strong CT sides, and firepower from flameZ and ropz, who kept pressure across rounds. Falcons fought back in stretches, but couldn’t overcome map deficits or Vitality’s clutch moments.

Vitality’s victory is their second consecutive ESL Pro League title, having won Season 21 with a win over MOUZ in the grand final earlier this year. This run of wins, which includes a Grand Slam, a Major title and a record streak of 30 consecutive victories,  has them marked as one of the greatest Counter-Strike esports teams of all time. 

While many teams that competed in the ESL Pro League have now moved on to the Thunderpick World Championships, neither Vitality or Falcons will be there, with their attention now turning to IEM Chengdu, which begins on November 3.