MAJ3R: "Everything takes time; I really believe we will lift a trophy this year"

The Turkish captain admitted his team didn't show its true colors in the playoff match against MOUZ.

Eternal Fire were sent home after their first playoff match in Lisbon

Eternal Fire were sent packing from BLAST Open Lisbon on Saturday following a 2-0 defeat at the hands of MOUZ.

The Turkish side travelled to Portugal with confidence running high after beating Liquid, G2 and Natus Vincere without dropping a map, but they fell short in the arena, with MOUZ AWPer Ádám "⁠torzsi⁠" Torzsás admitting that his team was "more composed" in key moments.

It was Eternal Fire's fourth arena loss in as many games, raising questions about their title credentials in 2025. The Turkish team previously lost to Falcons in the quarter-finals of PGL Cluj-Napoca.

"I'm pretty sure that we will gain a lot of experience [on stage] and in the future, we'll be able to show our full performance in the playoffs," Engin "⁠MAJ3R⁠" Küpeli told HLTV after the loss to MOUZ. "Step by step. Everything takes time. We will lift a trophy this year. I really believe it."

Despite the frustration over his team's off-color performance in the playoffs, the Turkish captain has positives to take from their tournament run. "I'm overall happy with our performance."

He added: "We learned that we have to be more intelligent in the way we play Counter-Strike."

After the match, Ismailcan "⁠XANTARES⁠" Dörtkardeş took to X to reveal that he has been struggling with a "big problem" in his back for almost a month. "I take 5 pills a day," he wrote. "I walk around like I'm unconscious."

MAJ3R praised XANTARES, who is dealing with severe back pain

The 29-year-old, who made the HLTV Top 20 for the first time in 2024 at No.15, averaged a 0.76 rating in the 2-0 series against MOUZ, a far cry from his usual numbers.

"Unfortunately, XANTARES has been dealing with terrible pain in his back for two days," MAJ3R explained. "He went to the hospital yesterday [Friday]. When your star player has a health situation, it's pretty hard to beat a top 3 team.

"He gave his best, and I appreciate his effort. He will come back stronger."

Eternal Fire's players will have a few days to rest before their next event, PGL Bucharest. That event will mark the start of a grueling period for the Turkish side, who will also make stops in Qatar, Melbourne, Astana, and Dallas before the Austin Major.

"It will be three or four days at home, kissing my wife and my kids," MAJ3R said. "And then we will go back to fighting. Nothing in life is guaranteed. You always have to fight for your dreams."

Ismailcan 'XANTARES' Dörtkardeş Age: 29 Team: Eternal Fire Rating 1.0: 1.16 Maps played: 2273 KPR: 0.80 DPR: 0.67 Liquid #9 Justin 'jks' SavageKeith 'NAF' MarkovicGuy 'NertZ' IluzRussel 'Twistzz' Van DulkenRoland 'ultimate' Tomkowiak Jay 'DeMars DeRover' Li Natus Vincere #3 Aleksi 'Aleksib' VirolainenMihai 'iM' IvanValeriy 'b1t' VakhovskiyJustinas 'jL' LekaviciusIhor 'w0nderful' Zhdanov Andrey 'B1ad3' Gorodenskiy G2 #7 Janusz 'Snax' PogorzelskiNemanja 'huNter-' KovačMario 'malbsMd' SamayoaIlya 'm0NESY' OsipovNikita 'HeavyGod' Martynenko Wiktor 'TaZ' Wojtas Engin 'MAJ3R' Küpeli Age: 34 Team: Eternal Fire Rating 1.0: 0.94 Maps played: 1526 KPR: 0.63 DPR: 0.66 Falcons #10 Nikola 'NiKo' KovačEmil 'Magisk' ReifRené 'TeSeS' MadsenAbdul 'degster' GasanovDamjan 'kyxsan' Stoilkovski Danny 'zonic' Sørensen Ádám 'torzsi' Torzsás Age: 22 Team: MOUZ Rating 1.0: 1.13 Maps played: 895 KPR: 0.74 DPR: 0.60 MOUZ #4 Ludvig 'Brollan' BrolinÁdám 'torzsi' TorzsásLotan 'Spinx' GiladiJimi 'Jimpphat' SaloDorian 'xertioN' Berman Dennis 'sycrone' Nielsen Eternal Fire #5 Engin 'MAJ3R' KüpeliIsmailcan 'XANTARES' DörtkardeşÖzgür 'woxic' EkerAli 'Wicadia' Haydar YalçınSamet 'jottAAA' Köklü Sezgin 'Fabre' Kalaycı