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Virtus.pro secured a crucial victory in Stage 1 of Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice, eliminating SAW with a 2-0 win and keeping their tournament hopes alive.
After a disappointing performance against paiN Gaming, the Russian Counter-Strike 2 squad delivered a dominant display, led by Petr “fame” Bolyshev and Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev.
Fame was particularly outstanding on Dust2, posting a 2.10 rating, while Denis “electroNic” Sharipov topped the scoreboard on Inferno.
Following the match, electroNic emphasised his dedication to improving as an in-game leader.
“I’m looking at the best teams and learning a lot from them. I just want to be the best version of myself,” he stated.
Virtus.pro will next face MIBR, with a spot in Stage 2 at stake.
SAW, on the other hand, suffered their third consecutive 0-2 loss since bringing in José “Shr” Gil.
Their struggles on Inferno against Virtus.pro highlighted ongoing issues in their gameplay, as they failed to find their footing.
No problem for the @GamerLegion boys as they inflicted some pain on Mirage
pic.twitter.com/nzd5T6CAdl
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) January 30, 2025
GamerLegion also advanced to Stage 2, dismantling paiN Gaming 2-0 in a match that exposed paiN’s defensive weaknesses.
Erik “ztr” Gustafsson’s strategic play on Inferno and the impressive performance of 17-year-old Oldřich “PR” Nový, who made his international LAN debut, were key factors in their victory.
Fredrik “REZ” Sterner praised the young players, noting their energy and motivation.
“They make me feel young, you know? It’s a nice atmosphere to be around,” he said.
Sketchy to solid.@3DMAXGaming come out victorious over @MIBR as they win 2-0 and advance to Stage 2 of #IEM Katowice 2025!
19-16 Inferno
13-5 Nuke pic.twitter.com/etf5i6rlCe— Intel® Extreme Masters (@IEM) January 30, 2025
3DMAX continued their strong form with a 2-0 victory over MIBR, securing a top-16 finish.
Despite nearly throwing their lead on Inferno, they rebounded with a dominant showing on Nuke.
Pierre “Ex3rcice” Bulinge admitted to inconsistencies but expressed confidence in their progress.
“We put so much effort into it, and we are happy that it paid off,” he stated.
The French squad has been revitalized since the addition of Filip “Graviti” Brankovic, showing potential to restore France’s Counter-Strike prominence.
Astralis survived their elimination match against FlyQuest, securing a narrow 2-1 victory.
After losing Train, they responded with a strong performance on Ancient before clinching Inferno in a tense decider.
Despite inconsistent results since signing Casper “cadiaN” Møller, Astralis remains in contention at IEM Katowice.
However, issues in their map pool and terrorist side strategies remain concerns as they look ahead.
BIG eliminated Imperial fe with a commanding 2-0 victory.
The women’s team, missing their in-game leader Victoria “tory” Kazieva, struggled to compete at the tier-one level.
Alexandra “twenty3” Timonina stood out, but it wasn’t enough to prevent an early exit.
Despite their disappointment, Ana “ANa” Dumbravă and Zainab “zAAz” Turkie remained optimistic, emphasising the significance of competing on such a grand stage.
.@eternalfirecs2 defeat @heroicgg 2-0 to clear Stage 1 at #IEM Katowice with a clean record
13-11 Nuke
16-14 Anubis pic.twitter.com/wqt3qgeqL4— Intel® Extreme Masters (@IEM) January 30, 2025
Eternal Fire secured their spot in the next stage with a hard-fought 2-0 win over HEROIC.
Key performances from Samet “jottAAA” Köklü, Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş, and Özgür “woxic” Eker helped them fend off HEROIC’s comeback attempts.
HEROIC, featuring promising talents like Linus “LNZ” Holtäng and Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich, have exceeded expectations despite their loss.
They now face BIG in a decisive match for a place in Stage 2.
IEM Katowice Stage 1 will conclude on Friday, with five teams punching their ticket to Stage 2 of the event.
Friday’s IEM Katowice series
- Complexity (+350) vs Team Liquid (-625) @ 1:30pm CET
- Wildcard (+162) vs FURIA Esports (-227.27) @ 1:30pm CET
- BIG (+200) vs HEROIC (-277.78) @ 4pm CET
- MIBR (+125) vs Virtus.pro (-175.44) @ 4pm CET
- paiN Gaming (-138.89) vs Astralis (+100) @ 6:30pm CET
- Complexity/Team Liquid vs FURIA Esports/Wildcard @ 6:30pm CET