en
G2 eliminate Spirit from IEM Cologne 2024
G2 and Team Spirit found themselves in a tough situation after dropping to the lower bracket and elimination series of IEM Cologne 2024.
A dominant first map
The fight to survive in Cologne started with a dominant first map from G2 with Nemanja "huNter-" Kovač’s name striking fear into Spirit’s core after his monstrous performance on Nuke.
Their statement victory started with excellent teamwork from G2 on the CT side, as they ran with a 9-3 scoreline in the first half. Despite Danil "donk" Kryshkovets’s pulling a few strings during the mid rounds, it wasn’t enough against a tenacious opponent like G2.
Throughout the entire map, Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski’s squad had Spirit’s numbers and were often a step ahead with a proactive CT side that shut down every attempt from Spirit.
Despite Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov struggling to find his footing, G2 managed to show a strong face, highlighted by huNter’s incredible impact with 20 kills in the first half.
In the second half, G2 carried the momentum and continued their dominance with four consecutive rounds to close out the map. Eventually, G2’s sharp shooting came to fruition as they not only stole Spirit’s map pick, but they did it in style.
Notable stats on Nuke:
- Spirit had only one single opening kill in ten rounds during the first half
- G2 won five back-to-back flawless rounds
- The Kovač cousins finished the first map with 100% KAST
Spirit out of IEM Cologne
The second map offered little to analyze as Team Spirit were thoroughly defeated 13-1, showing no individual highlights. With this loss, Spirit were knocked out of IEM Cologne 2024 without winning a single map under their belt.
In the post-match interview, huNter-, the series MVP, commented on Spirit's performance. Also, noting that the team isn't performing at the level they did last season.
"Spirit isn’t the same team from last year… We had a discussion about how we can become the G2 that everyone expects us to be,"
said huNter-.
On the flip side, G2 moves on to the lower semi-finals, where they’ll face Astralis. Therefore, we’re hoping for a heated competition. So be sure to tune in and catch all the action as it unfolds in Cologne.
Featured Image source: ESL
Read more:
