The IEM Cologne 2024 Play-Ins are complete, with the progressing teams now moving on to the Group Stage from tomorrow. Today saw the final five teams secure their spots, on a day where it was all to play for. Read on to find out more about the day’s action in Cologne!
FURIA beat out Heroic
Credit: Helena Kristiansson | © ESL
Here’s a fact for you. Before today, FURIA had never advanced from the Play-Ins of IEM Cologne. They had previously been seeded in the Groups before, but when tasked with making it through the Play-Ins, they’ve failed at every opportunity – until now. With two 13:11 map wins, this was as close as it gets against Heroic, but it was the Brazilians who came out on top in a much-improved performance.
It was a pleasure to watch veteran AWP IGL FalleN roll back the years once more, teaching Heroic’s degster a thing or two about how to wield the big green. FalleN’s improved performance was a big reason FURIA managed to get this over the line, although a massive map one and three from skullz also played a big part in the win. Whisper it quietly, but FURIA are looking decent right now – keep an eye on them as the IEM Cologne 2024 Group Stage progresses.
Falcons recover poor form to reach IEM Cologne 2024 Group Stage
Credit: Viola Schuldner | © ESL
“Rollercoaster” doesn’t even begin to describe Falcons‘ tournament so far in Cologne. With BIG standing between the team and the IEM Cologne 2024 Group Stage, you were left flipping a coin over whether they’d make it. A close 2:1 series win saw them progress, a much-needed result for the team. We’re still not convinced by Falcons, but a win is a win, no matter how you shake it.
Falcons’ slight resurgence was spearheaded by a better day at the office for SunPayus. He struggled particularly on day one of the IEM Cologne 2024 Play-Ins, although he didn’t exactly inspire confidence on day two, either. This was a reminder of the old ENCE SunPayus that has been AWOL ever since the release of CS2. If he can keep his monitor on in Cologne, Falcons have some life in them yet.
The MongolZ reverse-sweep Eternal Fire
Credit: IEM on X.
In one of the last games of the day, The MongolZ played out a highly competitive series against Eternal Fire, with the Asian team coming out on top when all was said and done. It was looking rough for The MongolZ after losing map one, but they were able to pull out a thrilling reverse sweep to seal the deal. Map three of Nuke heading to overtime was what this series deserved, proving to be one of the best games of the day.
Looking at the series’ stats, you wouldn’t think The MongolZ were the winners. Just one player (910) went positive for the team across the series, but it’s about winning rounds in any way you can. There’ll be no celebrations of any barn-burner performances here, but they’ve made it to the IEM Cologne 2024 Group Stage, and that’s all that really matters.
These are the full set of results from day three of the IEM Cologne 2024 Play-Ins:
9z Team 2:0 MIBR
paiN Gaming 2:1 Imperial
FURIA 2:1 Heroic
Falcons 2:1 BIG
The MongolZ 2:1 Eternal Fire
paiN Gaming 2:1 MIBR
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