A young and ambitious Ukrainian team, Passion UA, owned by football star Oleksandr Zinchenko, continues to shock the Counter-Strike 2 community at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024: European RMR B. With back-to-back victories in BO1 matches, including the win versus VP and a stunning 13:11 win over Spirit, ranked #3 in the Valve World Ranking, Passion UA now stands at 2:0 in the Swiss stage, needing just one more win to secure a spot at their first Major.

The Spirit Match: A True Underdog Story

The match against Spirit was played on Anubis, a strong map for Spirit. Spirit quickly asserted themselves with a 5:1 lead, showcasing the strength of their star players, Danil "donk" Kryshkovets and Dmitry "sh1ro" Sokolov. However, Passion UA had other plans. A series of incredible clutches turned the tide, with Dmytro "jambo" Semera stealing the spotlight. His 1v3 ninja defuse in the eighth round not only demoralized Spirit but also highlighted their struggles to close out critical moments.

Jambo later explained how he was able to win that clutch to the Telegram channel CS2 UA:

I went into the con, into the smoke, killed donk, wanted to move on, and they say to me: ‘Go for a save’. I'm standing there, waiting for them to knock out the guns, and thinking about defusing.’ They say to me: ‘Chopper is already out, he wants to come to the back’. And Rodion said: ‘Go defuse”. I hear two people running out of the plant and realise that no one else is around.

 

By halftime, the Ukrainian squad had clawed back to a respectable 5:7 deficit. The second half was chaotic, with both teams trading rounds in a fast-paced exchange. Passion UA found their rhythm when it mattered most, fueled by a game-changing 1v2 clutch from Eduard "zeRRoFIX" Petrovskyi, which gave them the lead for the first time.

Even though the best player of the match according to the rating was sh1ro, the true MVP should go jambo, who pulled a couple of really important rounds, won two clutches and got a rating of 7.9.

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Community Reactions

The Counter-Strike community is abuzz with reactions to Passion UA's rise:

• Martin "STYKO" Styk on X: "Surely Passion UA converts this 2-0 dreamstart in BO3s. What a scalp as well, two CIS powerhouses down."
• Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev on Telegram: "Passion UA... just wow! They played really well and with coherence. Mishanya (Kane), let's go, one more game and you are on the Major! The call to save on 12-10 is genius."
• Harry "JustHarry" Russell on X: "Passion UA with THE defining upset of the RMR. 3 chances now to make the Major. Unbelievable. They came out looking like the favourites as Spirit played terrified all game long."

What’s Next for Passion UA?

With a 2-0 record, Passion UA has three opportunities to secure a ticket to Shanghai. Their fearless gameplay and clutch performances have made them one of the most exciting stories of the RMR. Can this young team defy the odds once again and reach the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024? All eyes are on them as they approach the BO3 matches.