How far can Navi go after this win against Vitality? – Team Liquid eliminated from IEM Cologne 2021

Day three of IEM Cologne 2021’s main event saw some incredible matchups as Navi defeated Vitality.

As we get closer to the knockout stage of IEM Cologne 2021, we are beginning to see the best of the groups emerge. Several vital matchups decided the upper bracket finals for group B. Meanwhile, two more teams were dropped out of contention.

Can Navi win Group B?

Natus Vincere faced off against Vitality in what was one of the best matches of the day. The series started off with a tight map on Overpass, which ultimately fell in Navi’s favor 16-14. Vitality had a strong T-side start (10-5), though Valeriy “B1T” Vakhovskiy turned the tide Vitality still came out on top.

Navi fired back with two strong wins on Nuke (5-16) and Mirage (10-16). Overall, Navi had an incredible showing all around. Often criticized for relying on their star carry, Oleksandr “S1mple” Kostyliev, this match showed that the CIS roster had depth. Whether or not this will be enough to carry them further remains to be seen.

BIG dismantle Team Liquid

Team Liquid’s hopes of continuing on at IEM Cologne 2021 ended at the hands of BIG. On the first map, Vertigo, Team Liquid struggled to find their footing as their trailed for most of the map, ultimately falling 11-16. Team Liquid put up a much better fight on Nuke, however found the same result.

Overall, Team Liquid was simply out classed by their BIG counterparts. Florian “syrsoN” Rische had an impressive showing, finding 47 total frags and an 82.1% KAST. BIG will advance to face Virtus.pro in the lower bracket finals of Group A.

Also read:

• Update: Heroic cleared to leave quarantine at IEM Cologne 2021
• Will CIS also dominate offline? – IEM Cologne 2021 Group Stage preview

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Image Credit: Navi