The IEM Cologne Semi-Finals are now behind us, with just one match left before we crown the final CS:GO victor in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike. We’ve got the lowdown on everything that happened across 2 matches in the IEM Cologne 2023 Semi-Finals.
ENCE Are The Real Deal
After ENCE’s IEM Dallas 2023 win, it would’ve been easy to dub it a one-off. This proves it once and for all – ENCE are here to stay, and are looking for that second notch in the Intel Grand Slam Season 5. On this form, you’d back them to get it.
Credit: IEM on Twitter
Going into the match, most would have Vitality as favorites, and for good reason. But ENCE were not in the IEM Cologne Semi-Finals to roll over. They were here to play. ENCE had arrived through the IEM Cologne Group Stage without losing a single map, meaning they’d qualified for the Semi-Final by default. If Vitality were wondering why that was the case prior to the game, they were left with little doubt afterwards.
It was an impressive performance all around from ENCE, with SunPayus particularly putting in a star-making performance. Snappi has firmly established himself as one of the best Danish IGLs on the planet, and it’s exciting to see what he can do with these pieces in the next match and beyond.
On the Vitality side, they never really got going. There were signs of life on their victorious second map, but ultimately it petered out swiftly on Vertigo. Credit to ENCE though – they never allowed Vitality to get comfortable.
G2 End Astralis Dream
Throughout dev1ce’s illustrious career, it’s easy to forget he hasn’t quite won every prize CS:GO can afford him. Every time he has entered the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, he’s fallen in the Semi-Finals. He was powerless to stop G2 from repeating history, as they romped 2:0 over Astralis.
Credit: IEM on Twitter
The IEM Cologne Quarter-Finals were impressive for Astralis, who dumped Heroic from the tournament yesterday. However, there’s a reason G2 found themselves automatically qualified for the IEM Cologne 2023 Semi-Finals – they were brilliant. It was as if the past few months of poor form hadn’t even happened! For Astralis, much of what went right yesterday went wrong today. Buzz couldn’t find the confidence he did yesterday, while b0RUP equally struggled with the occasion. Still, considering where Astralis where just a couple of months ago, this is still a step in the right direction.
Everyone on G2 did their part, but special mention must go to NiKo, who played like a man possessed. He may be finishing CS:GO without a Major, but it would be wrong for one of the game’s greatest to leave it behind without an IEM Cologne honor. With just ENCE in front of him, NiKo has one last best-of-five to put things right.
IEM Cologne 2023 Grand Final Schedule
It’s finally here – the IEM Cologne 2023 Grand Final, and the final CS:GO match in the LANXESS Arena. Here’s the bracket of the Playoffs so far, with the schedule for the final match.
Credit: ESLCS on Twitter
ENCE vs G2 face off at 16:00 CEST. Think you know the future winner? GG.Bet are already offering live odds on the IEM Cologne 2023 Grand Final, with G2 favored early on.
GG.Bet are offering far more than just outright winners, too. There are plenty of niche markets here that you’ll struggle to find elsewhere, allowing you to go as in-depth to the match as you’d like while betting. The site’s embedded IEM Cologne 2023 stream means you can get in-play odds on each match, so you’ll never miss a moment on the server.
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