IEM Cologne Day 1 review: 3DMAX, Liquid & NiP headline winners

Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne’s opening day played out at breakneck pace on Wednesday, with 16 Counter-Strike 2 teams competing on the day without a single upset being witnessed. However, the results still served up a stack of storylines ahead of Thursday’s qualification and elimination clashes.

Virtus.pro (VP) drew first blood and won their way through to the upper bracket, exacting swift revenge on TYLOO for last week’s FISSURE Playground #1 loss. Petr “fame” Bolyshev’s 20‑frag barricade on Inferno’s B site set the tone as VP overturned an early deficit to claim a 13‑7 win, before a clinical terrorist side on the returning Overpass (13-5) sealed the 2‑0. The victory halts VP’s five-series skid and snaps TYLOO’s own five-match streak, teeing up a Stage 2 qualifier with a resurgent GamerLegion.

GamerLegion reached that bout by shredding Complexity 13‑3 on Inferno and 13‑10 on Nuke. Sebastian “Tauson” Tauson Lindelof’s trio of first‑half clutches strangled any North American squad’s momentum, while rookie AWPer Jeremy “Kursy” Gast provided timely rifling support as the Europeans showcased the identity their coach insists has been brewing since their FISSURE Playground flop.

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  Fast Payouts

Astralis buried the ghosts of April’s Major Regional Qualifier (MRQ) exit, sweeping B8 courtesy of Jakob “⁠jabbi⁠” Nygaard’s roaming lurks and two late Martin “⁠stavn⁠” Lund clutches on Inferno. Nicolai “⁠device⁠” Reedtz, anonymous for much of map two, finally roared in overtime to clinch a 16‑12 close and a 2‑0 match that keeps Rasmus “⁠HooXi⁠” Nielsen’s men on the fast track to Stage 2—yet crucially without revealing their shiny new Overpass.

In the lower half of the draw, FURIA Esports needed three maps and double overtime on Dust2 to outlast FlyQuest in a series where youngster Danil “⁠molodoy⁠” Golubenko and veteran Mareks “⁠YEKINDAR⁠” Gaļinskis wrested control from a game-high Justin “jks” Savage on debut. The South Americans now face Astralis for progression; FlyQuest tumble into a survival meeting with BIG.

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  The bookies' bookie

Elsewhere, 3DMAX’s French blend claimed a strong win over MIBR, riding Lucas “⁠Lucky⁠” Chastang’s multikills on Train and a 10‑2 terrorist half on Ancient to a comfortable 2‑0. FaZe Clan welcomed Helvijs “⁠broky⁠” Saukants back with a two-map dismantling of BIG, as Håvard “⁠rain⁠” Nygaard and David “⁠frozen⁠” Čerňanský ran riot on Inferno and Ancient. Meanwhile, Team Liquid ended their six-match slide by dismantling paiN Gaming through some vintage Russel “⁠Twistzz⁠” Van Dulken heroics.

Rounding out the action, Ninjas in Pyjamas debuted Kacper “⁠xKacpersky⁠” Gabara to telling effect, overturning HEROIC on Overpass (13-9) and Ancient (13-9) after weathering a scrappy Nuke loss (10-13). The Polish rifler’s composure, paired with Marco “⁠Snappi⁠” Pfeiffer’s high-tempo calling, powered a 13-9 clincher that leaves HEROIC staring at an early exit.

Thursday’s IEM Cologne schedule now pits Virtus.pro against GamerLegion and FaZe against Liquid for two coveted Stage 2 berths, while TYLOO, Complexity, BIG and FlyQuest scrap for survival. Astralis’ clash with FURIA will top the bill on Friday, promising another chapter in Cologne’s rapidly unfolding drama.

Thursday’s IEM Cologne Stage 1 matches

Each of the six series on Thursday will result in a team advancing to Stage 2 or one team being eliminated from IEM Cologne. Below you find all of the games, with odds courtesy of the best CS2 betting sites.

Advancement games

• GamerLegion (+110 with BetOnline) vs Virtus.pro (-151.52 with SportsBetting.ag) @ 1:30pm CEST
• 3DMAX (+125 with BetOnline) vs Ninjas in Pyjamas (-175.44 with BetOnline) @ 4pm CEST
• FaZe Clan (-227.27 with BetOnline) vs Team Liquid (+162 with SportsBetting.ag) @ 6:30pm CEST

Elimination matches

• Complexity (+125 with BetOnline) vs TYLOO (-175.44 with BetOnline) @ 1:30pm CEST
• B8 (-151.52 with BetOnline) vs FlyQuest (+110 with SportsBetting.ag) @ 4pm CEST
• MIBR (+175 with BetOnline) vs HEROIC (-250 with BetOnline) @ 6:30pm CEST