Magnojez: BETBOOM finally topple FURIA after five straight defeats

BETBOOM finally got the better of FURIA at IEM Beijing, winning an overtime decider on Nuke to reach the quarter-final's end after dropping five straight meetings with the Brazilian side, including the grand final of the Thunderpick World Championship.

Kirill "Magnojez" Rodnov told HLTV the result carried extra weight given that history. "To be honest, another cinema game versus FURIA," he said with a smile, adding that facing them is "always fun" because of how well they play. "It's really a pleasure to play versus them; already six times, and no one beats BETBOOM six times," he said, laughing.

The series swung heavily across its maps. BETBOOM took Ancient 13-5 in what Magnojez described as a strong preparation effort on a map he felt was uncomfortable for FURIA. Dust2 went the other way despite a close contest, which Magnojez put down to small lapses in rounds BETBOOM should have won. Nuke then went to overtime after what he called "some fluke rounds" let FURIA back in, before BETBOOM closed it out.

Asked what changed from BETBOOM's previous near-misses against the same opponent, Magnojez pointed to sharper communication and composure under pressure, telling HLTV: "I think today we were much more inside the game. Our communication was much better than we usually do."

Aleksandr "zorte" Zagodyrenko was singled out for his form after a difficult group stage, with Magnojez saying he was producing displays he likened to "ZywOo performance". He credited the team's broader structure, built under coach Artem "Fierce" Ivanov alongside in-game leader Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhailov, for allowing more players to step up individually.

"I think before he came, we had much less structure than right now," Magnojez said of Fierce's arrival. "He's trying to involve all five players during the round so anyone can play their individual, anyone can play on 100%, and I think that's the main difference."

Magnojez added that earlier tournament setbacks, including at Katowice and the Thunderpick World Championship, had been necessary steps in the squad's development, describing them as losses the team "needed" in order to progress.

BETBOOM now face a rematch with MOUZ, the top-ranked team in the world, having lost to them earlier in the group stage. Magnojez told HLTV that performance was affected by conditions in the studio. "Obviously, they're the top-one team in the world right now. They're playing really good CS," he said, adding that the earlier defeat was "not our best game at all" partly because "it was cold in the studio".