IEM Summer runners-up OG will get one more chance to qualify for IEM Cologne after losing to BIG 2-0. The EU side will now face Renegades
OG fans will have to wait a little longer to see if their side reaches the IEM Cologne group stage. The European side has been in form coming into this tournament. OG has a 70% win rate online and had recently come second to Gambit at IEM Summer. The tournament started off well for OG as they convincingly beat Team One 16-6 on Inferno.
BIG took care of business on Dust2
OG had the bragging rights coming into this best-of-three with BIG. They had recently taken down BIG 2-1 at the Spring Sweet Spring tournament. This victory should have given them more than enough data to study as they approached this series. The first map was Dust2, the exact same first map they played on previously. OG was able to win the first affair but fell incredibly short the second time around.
BIG came out of the gates swinging, winning the first five rounds, setting themselves up for a strong finisher on the defensive half. BIG seemed to be the better-prepared side after falling 16-14 to OG in their previous meeting. Nils "k1to" Gruhne was the star of the first map with an impressive 2.9 kill-to-death ratio, three first kills, and an average damage per round of 87.4.
BIG clutches in overtime to secure 2-0 sweep
The second map was much closer and could have gone either way. Ultimately BIG ended up clutching out, securing their place in the group stage of IEM Cologne. Similar to map one, BIG got off to a strong start, winning seven of the first nine rounds. Going into the second half, OG was on the back foot from the get-go as BIG continued their aggression by winning the first four rounds to take a resounding 13-6 lead.
OG did not let the lead sway them off their game, and what happened next was really impressive. OG was able to 9-2 down the stretch to force the map into overtime. Unfortunately for OG, they were not able to secure the victory as BIG won 4-2 in overtime.
OG takes on Renegades in Lower Bracket Qualifier
With qualification for IEM Cologne at stake, OG must give their all when they go up against Renegades. While OG is the heavy favorites to win this series, Renegades are not a side to be taken lightly. The OCE side clutched out two important maps against MIBR to get to the next stage of the lower bracket. That being said, OG is a class above Renegades and should have too much quality for them down the stretch.
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