by The second day of IEM Chengdu witnessed intense clashes as Virtus.pro and Cloud9 secured crucial wins, positioning themselves strategically in the tournament.
Virtus.pro, led by Dzhami “Jame” Ali, secured the third playoff spot at the Counter-Strike 2 event after defeating FlyQuest 2-1 (16-14, 11-13, 13-7), while Cloud9 kept their hopes alive by dominating Wildcard 2-0 (13-1, 13-5).
.@virtuspro lock in their spot in the #IEM Chengdu 2024 playoffs after a 2-1 victory over @FlyQuestCS!
16-14 Inferno
11-13 Vertigo
13-7 Ancient pic.twitter.com/Y5M9AI2ziE— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) April 9, 2024
Virtus.pro’s journey was marked by ups and downs, particularly evident in their match against FlyQuest.
Despite a dominant start on Inferno, they faced fierce resistance from FlyQuest’s aggressive AWPing, led by Alistair “aliStair” Johnston.
However, Virtus.pro’s resilience led them to secure overtime and eventually a hard-fought 16-14 win.
The following map, Vertigo, saw FlyQuest in control with an impressive 11-1 lead in the first half.
Yet, Virtus.pro staged a spirited comeback, fuelled by clutch plays from Evgenii “FL1T” Lebedev and David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan.
Although they fell short, losing 11-13, Virtus.pro bounced back convincingly in the decider map, securing a 13-7 victory and a coveted playoff spot.
Astralis showcased dominance in their match against FaZe, securing their spot in the playoffs.
Playing their first tournament with Nicolai “device” Reedtz as the in-game leader, Astralis exhibited cohesion and strength, particularly highlighted by Martin “stavn” Lund’s stellar performance.
With a 1.65 rating, stavn showcased significant improvement, contributing to Astralis’ commanding 2-0 (13-7, 13-4) victory over FaZe.
Not even close ??@AstralisCS take out the Major grand finalists @FaZeClan with a clean 2-0 to make it to the #IEM Chengdu playoffs! ??
13-7 Ancient
13-4 Nuke pic.twitter.com/yfK7XslffO— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) April 9, 2024
Following their win, device highlighted their team’s adaptability and cohesion under new leadership, crediting role adjustments for their improved performance.
Astralis will face Virtus.pro in a highly anticipated clash for a spot in the semi-finals.
In other matches, Lynn Vision’s journey came to an end as they were eliminated by G2 in 2-0 (13-8, 13-11) fashion, dashing hopes of Chinese representation in the playoffs.
Similarly, FURIA suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Heroic, despite a strong start.
After FURIA claimed Ancient, Heroic emerged victorious on Nuke and Overpass to take the series 2-1 (6-13, 13-6, 13-11) and set up a showdown against G2 for a chance to advance to the playoffs.
Wednesday’s IEM Chengdu matches
- Cloud9 ($2.37) vs FaZe Clan ($1.53) @ 1:30pm CST
- FlyQuest ($1.57) vs Nemiga ($2.25) @ 1:30pm CST
- Team Liquid ($2.25) vs MOUZ ($1.57) @ 4:30pm CST
- Virtus.pro ($1.57) vs Astralis ($2.25) @ 4:30pm CST
- G2 Esports ($1.44) vs Heroic ($2.62) @ 7:30pm CST
- Winner of FlyQuest/Nemiga vs Winner of Cloud9/FaZe Clan @ 7:30pm CST
