DRG falls short as T1 secures a close victory at Champions 2025

Welcome to Day 3 of VALORANT Champions 2025, where Group D kicks off with Dragon Ranger Gaming (DRG) battling T1 Esports before G2 Esports face Team Heretics, delivering two heavyweight clashes to fire up your Sunday on Sept. 14. Grab your snacks and get comfortable, because the stage is about to heat up!

As always, you can watch the VALORANT Champions 2025 tournament on Riot Games’ official YouTube and Twitch channels. The matches start at 6 a.m. PT / 3 p.m. CEST.

If you’re at work or away from home and can’t catch the broadcast, stay with us! We’ll bring you live scores and match recaps in real time.

You can check all of the groups, match schedules, and more on the official esports.gg VALORANT Champions 2025 hub. The results will be updated daily. After the Dragon Ranger Gaming vs. T1 Esports match, we’ll move on to cover G2 Esports vs Team Heretics, so stay tuned to catch the highlights and the best moments from that battle too.

Dragon Ranger Gaming is here to show the world how Chinese VALORANT is truly played. Making their debut on the international stage, the dragons arrive with a massive surprise: Demon1, the Champions 2023 winner. Even with limited time to prepare and a brand-new roster twist, they’re determined to prove they belong among the best in VCT China.

On the other side, T1 enters with history on its side. After a dominant domestic run and their breakthrough victory at VALORANT Masters Bangkok, the Reds tasted international glory. But with struggles in the latter half of the season, they now seek redemption, a fresh start, and a chance to secure their second trophy of the year. DRG vs T1 at the VALORANT Champions 2025 stage. Two stories. Only one can rise to the top. Who will it be?

Check back here after the matches to catch the highlights from each game.

This was far from an ordinary VALORANT match. While many were focused on Demon1’s comeback, both teams ended up shining on the stage. For DRG, Demon1 reminded everyone why he’s a Champions winner, but his teammates were just as impressive.

Nicc’s Breach utility consistently pierced T1’s tight defenses, while Akeman expertly claimed spaces with Waylay’s movement and entry plays. Yet it was SpiritZ1 who stole the spotlight, his Yoru wreaking havoc across the map and creating crucial opportunities for the team.

However, T1 wasn’t going to let this map slip away. Making his international stage debut, DH stunned everyone with an incredible performance on Omen, seamlessly integrating into T1’s strategy. He dominated the stage with jaw-dropping kills and fluid movement, maximizing Omen’s teleports and abilities to keep DRG constantly on the back foot.

Into overtime, it was all a question of who was going to be standing out the most, and T1 was superior on that field. With the first map victory, let's head into the second map!

On the second map, T1 demonstrated a strong desire to win by taking the pistol round, followed by a bonus round that DRG could not afford to lose. Things were beginning to look challenging for DRG as their economy suffered, making it difficult for them to penetrate T1's solid defense. Then, on DRG's eco round, the stringer popped off, which gave them a little bit more confidence to work on this map. In the meantime, one of the teams activated a tech pause, putting the first half on hold for quite a long time.

After a long break, the teams returned to Sunset, but T1 wasn't giving DRG any opportunity to fight back. With a strong offensive in the second half, supported by two duelist compositions with high mobility (Neon and Yoru), T1 easily penetrated DRG's defenses. However, DRG began to figure out how to counter T1's strategy, which proved to be quite challenging. The next round was already too hard to hold A site, and DRG was forced to save their weapons and retreat. But they were more than ready to ruin T1's entry in the next round. What an absurd defense!

After surviving a heavy assault on A site, T1 shifted their strategy to a B site push. However, it played right into DRG’s hands, as they clutched rounds with remarkable precision. The move disrupted T1’s economy at a critical moment, allowing DRG to steadily close the gap on the scoreboard. In an eco-round, the stax's Guardian was not enough to help the team get some kills and steal weapons, which would be beneficial for their eco. The rounds were fast-paced, each team working on fast picks and reactions; there was not a single time when you could breathe and think about what was happening.

DRG claimed the lead on the scoreboard. It was their last opportunity to take this series to a third map. But T1 was so strong with their attack, combined with the Sova ult and the Omen's paranoia. The overtime was right around the corner, being the second overtime of the series. DRG took the lead in overtime, but once again, the oppressive and aggressive style of T1 was too hard to deal with. In a 1v2 situation, Demon1 couldn't change the destiny of that round.

The match was just insane, both teams were giving it everything for a victory in Sunset. The double duelist meta in this map has been so good for T1 in terms of overpowering the enemy team's defenses. In a close battle, the Korean team ended up being superior and took the victory home! What an incredible VALORANT match, everyone.

That's all for now. Stick around for more VALORANT news, guides, and updates on esports.gg.