Vitality coach says VALORANT roster is ‘close to the top’ of EMEA, but just missing one thing

Compared to some of the top EMEA VALORANT teams, the Vitality roster is one of little international experience. But coach Salah Barakat is confident that the team he put together under the yellow-and-black banner will join the elite once they have a little more time on stage.

At the VCT LOCK//IN, Vitality won their opening match versus Global Esports, with decisive wins on Split and Lotus despite dropping Pearl. In their second-round match versus Leviatán, they rallied back from an early deficit on Haven, but couldn’t cross the finish line in regulation—or after three overtimes. Lacking international stage experience, the OT loss sapped all of the energy from Vitality, and they got run over on their own pick of Pearl, bringing an end to their LOCK//IN run.