Day 2 will see Astralis and BIG face off against each other in an elimination match.
The first day of the IEM Cologne 2022 Play-ins featured some interesting matchups. While the initial matches were all best-of-ones, the qualification and all lower bracket matches are best-of-three series. Despite the mix of BO1s and BO3s, there were a few surprises on Day 1 of the million-dollar event.
Probably the biggest surprise was Team Vitality losing 0-2 to Movistar Riders. The final match of the day was also the biggest surprise as the superstar-studded roster could not match up against the Spanish players.
Movistar Riders
Movistar Riders come into IEM Cologne off a victory at ESL Challenger Valencia. While Valencia was a tournament featuring the best Spanish teams, Movistar Riders’ victory against Team Vitality proved they are ready for the big leagues.
Vitality is not yet out of the tournament and will have an opportunity to qualify to the group stage once again tomorrow. They will face Sprout tomorrow in a best-of-three to determine the team’s fate in the Bo3.
While the entire team put up commendable contributions, Alvaro 'SunPayus' Garcia stepped up with 46 kills across two maps. Close behind him was Alejandro ‘moopoz’ Fernández-Quejo Cano with 38 kills.
Over on Team Vitality, Zywoo and misutaa tried their best to help the team to victory, but Overpass was a clear miss for the squad. They managed just four rounds, clearly falling short of their target by quite a few rounds.
Astralis, BIG and Vitality in the lower bracket, fighting for survival
IEM Cologne is already seeing one of its most anticipated matchups when Astralis and BIG will face each other in the lower bracket. A match that ideally should have not be taking place so early in the tournament will see one team out of the event, while the other barely advances to the group stage.
Every year, thousands of fans gather at the LANXESS Arena to watch the best CS: GO teams in action. In 2018, the arena erupted for the home team, BIG, when they reached the Grand finals of the tournament.
For the rest of the results, you can check out our IEM Cologne live results article which is updated regularly through the tournament.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest CS: GO news and updates.