The group stage of IEM Katowice 2021 has concluded and G2 Esports wasn’t able to push through, while four teams of CIS origin showed up to play.
There were six spots up for grabs in the group stage, with Team Spirit grabbing the first one, immediately qualifying for the semi-final of the playoffs. They beat out Astralis with a 2-1 score, destroying them with a historic 16-1 win on Dust II in their final match. Astralis also managed to qualify for the playoffs by making it to the third round of the upper bracket. In the lower bracket Gambit esports beat out G2 with a 2-0 score, winning 16-11 on both Vertigo and Dust II, grabbing the final group A playoff berth.
WELCOME TO THE #IEM KATOWICE 2021 PLAYOFFS!@AstralisCS @Team__Spirit @natusvincere @TeamLiquidCS @GambitEsports @virtuspro
See you next week! 👋 pic.twitter.com/3a6bYasjxY
— Intel®ExtremeMasters (@IEM) February 21, 2021
Team Liquid took on Natus Vincere in the final round of the upper bracket in group B. They’d go on to beat the CIS team with 2-1 after an absolute thriller, which saw final map Inferno go to overtime twice, ending in a 22-19 Liquid win. The final team to qualify for playoffs was Virtus Pro, who moved past FURIA on Overpass and Mirage, sending the Brazilians home.
Stewie went stab and we won third map
— Team Liquid CSGO (@TeamLiquidCS) February 21, 2021
Also read: Esports Legends: Stewie2K
This means we now know the upcoming playoff matches. Natus Vincere will play Gambit Esports, with Team Spirit waiting in the semi-final to round out the CIS party. Astralis will play Virtus.Pro in the other match of the playoffs, with the victor taking on a Team Liquid that’s in great form right now.
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