Astralis captain Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen shared his thoughts after their victory over Natus Vincere in the quarter-finals of PGL Astana 2025 in CS2. He expressed confidence in his team`s potential to succeed further in the tournament. Nielsen`s comments were made during a broadcast with Vyacheslav “Buster” Leontyev.
When asked about his current state, HooXi responded: “I am very pleased with our game performance. Overall, I`m happy with how everything is progressing – both with the team dynamics and at the tournament. However, speaking personally, it is difficult for me right now: yesterday I learned that my grandmother passed away. That is, of course, sad. But regarding CS – yes, I am genuinely satisfied.”
Addressing his mindset for the tournament and whether victory is the goal, he stated: “Yes, absolutely. It feels like we are constantly underestimated – people think we have no chance. And then we step out and deliver performances like this [referring to the win over NAVI]. I am confident that if we continue in this manner, we can go all the way. Even against Spirit – while everyone says we were crushed in the previous match, I believe we had an opportunity. Although yes, they did significantly outplay us then, but if we keep building form, keep winning – we can defeat them too.”
The match between Astralis and NAVI took place on the afternoon of May 16th. Nielsen`s squad secured a 2:1 victory, advancing to the semi-finals, while Aleksib Virolainen`s team was eliminated from the championship.
PGL Astana 2025 is being held in Kazakhstan from May 10th to 18th. The event features 16 participating teams competing for a prize pool of $625,000.
Finley Holt