Astralis didn’t give up a single map as they took down 9z with a 2-0 series win at the IEM Cologne 2024 Group A upper bracket quarter-finals. Here’s everything you need to know about the showdown between the two teams.
Map Veto
- 9z banned Vertigo
- Astralis banned Anubis
- 9z picked Dust2
- Astralis picked Inferno
- 9z banned Ancient
- Astralis banned Nuke
- Mirage was left over
Game 1: Dust2 (Pick: 9z, Win: Astralis, Final Score: 13-10)
9z looked to grab a head start on their own map pick after taking the pistol round on the T-side, but a force-buy from Astralis shut them down in their tracks. 9z tried to respond with a force-buy of their own but failed to the superior firepower that Astralis brought, resulting in the latter getting a 3-1 lead. The first full-buy round of the half went to 9z, who managed to grab forcing Astralis into an eco as they equalized the score. However, Astralis retaliated in the following rounds, grabbing the majority of the remaining half to go into their T-side with a slight advantage of 7-5.
Astralis extended their lead by securing the pistol round on the T-side but faltered as 9z countered with a successful force-buy. 9z then strung together several rounds to briefly take the lead. However, Astralis responded with four consecutive round wins, ultimately clinching the game with a 13-10 victory.
Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard dominated the Dust2 leaderboard with an impressive K/D of 25/13.
Game 2: Inferno (Pick: Astralis, Win: Astralis, Final Score: 13-5)
The first half of Inferno was pretty much a one-sided affair, with Astralis dominating on the T-side. After conceding the first two rounds, Astralis bounced back hard, winning every subsequent round to close the half with a commanding 10-2 lead.
After losing the crucial pistol round in the second half, 9z rallied to secure three consecutive rounds. However, Astralis quickly regained composure and closed out the game with a 13-5 victory.
Victor “Staehr” Staehr shined on Inferno with a K/D of 22/11 and an ADR of a whopping 121.7.
