Day one of IEM Cologne 2021 began as early favorites advanced and the NA hopefuls fell.
The six games today kicked off the main event of IEM Cologne 2021. Nearly all European teams advanced as Vitality, BIG, G2, and NIP avoided being dropped to the lower bracket. The CIS region, which dominated in the online CS era, saw two of their teams in Navi and Gambit advance. While no teams have been eliminated yet, those hanging on the edge have only one series between them and a flight back home from the first LAN back.
Team Liquid fall against Ninjas In Pyjamas
The first match of the day saw NA’s lone team face off against the highly anticipated NIP squad. An early win on Overpass was promising for NA fans every, especially as Michael “Grim” Wince had an incredible start to the game. Though an OT 19-17 win got TL the lead, they did not keep it for long. Dust2 saw Liquid lead early, but 14-round winning streak snapped Team Liquid’s confidence.
Mirage was an incredibly one sided affair as the map ended 2-16 in NIP’s favor. Now bound to face off against 2021’s best performing team, NIP will get another shot at Gambit.
What are Gambit’s chances in their first LAN back?
The kings of the online CS era, who made several consecutive finals appearances and title runs, have not lost momentum in person. Faced off against Mousesports in their first match, Gambit took the series 2-1. With some incredible fraggers from play-ins, such as Robin “ropz” Kool, Mousesports proved to be a difficult opponent.
After dropping Inferno (14-16), Gambit came back on both Vertigo (16-3) and Mirage (16-12). Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov lead the pack with a 1.31 rating, off of 60 frags and 88.9 ADR. Showing that all of their players have proven carry potential, Gambit look poised for a deep tournament run.
Also read:
- Heroic quarantined following positive COVID-19 test at IEM Cologne 2021
- Will CIS also dominate offline? – IEM Cologne 2021 Group Stage preview
- Complexity and Mousesports find their way into the IEM Cologne 2021 Main Event
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