As a dedicated Counter-Strike fan with over two decades of gaming experience under my belt, I must say that the IEM Cologne 2024 Grand Final was nothing short of epic! The nail-biting tension, the heart-stopping moments, and the sheer skill on display were simply breathtaking.
During the period from August 16 to August 18, 2024, enthusiasts of Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports worldwide witnessed an exhilarating competition among the final six teams at the IEM Cologne 2024 playoffs. This event took place before a boisterous audience at the Theatre of Counter-Strike, more famously known as the LANXESS Arena in the city of Cologne, Germany.
If you missed out on being part of the crowd (like Alexandra Hobbs!) or couldn’t catch the live action, here’s a summary of the thrilling Grand Final match between NAVI and Team Vitality, complete with some exceptional highlights that you might just want to rewatch a few times!
NAVI vs. Team Vitality Grand Finale | IEM Cologne 2024
As a devoted fan, I’ve witnessed Dan “apEX” Madesclaire from Team Vitality chase the dream of lifting an IEM Cologne trophy for more than a decade. He’s graced the finals at IEM Cologne twice, but victory has always eluded him. Among his ambitions was to secure a win, either at IEM Cologne or its counterpart, IEM Katowice.
18th August 2024 saw both Team Vitality and NAVI stepping onto the stage at the legendary arena, ready to fight it out for prestige and the IEM Cologne trophy. The game kicked off with a bang as Team Vitality took an early lead of 8-4 on NAVI’s chosen map, Nuke, during the first half.
Initially, NAVI had amassed eight victories against Vitality’s four on the CT side, leading to an overtime scenario. On Nuke in overtime, it seemed that NAVI was about to gain a decisive advantage, but Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut performed a remarkable 2v1 clutch to secure the fourth round of overtime for his team instead.
Following the clutch play, NAVI failed to secure a single round, allowing Team Vitality to clinch Nuke 16-14 in the opening game of the grand final, taking a 1-0 lead.
On the map Dust2 in Vitality’s match, NAVI gradually gained an edge and narrowly secured a 7-5 victory in the first half. In the second half, when the teams switched sides, NAVI’s Ukrainian AWPer Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov played a pivotal role on the CT side, securing a pistol round win with an impressive four kills using the USP-S!
Vitality couldn’t recover and completely close the gap, as NAVI won Dust2 with a 13-10 score and tied up the IEM Cologne 2024 Grand Final 1-1.
As a dedicated fan, I found myself eagerly anticipating the unveiling of the third map, Mirage. With Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen’s side having won an impressive 12 consecutive matches against elite professional teams, many of us were confident that NAVI would seize this map too.
Against all odds, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire inspired his teammates and managed to catch up in the second half, leading Mirage into an overtime battle. In the initial overtime round, it was ZywOo who took the lead for Vitality with a remarkable 2-vs-1 clutch on the CT side after setting off the bomb.
In the initial two extra periods, neither team managed to secure victory, largely due to remarkable plays by Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov. With just a 2v1 situation towards the end of the second overtime, he stepped up and prevented NAVI from losing.
In the third extra period, Team Vitality managed to subdue NAVI, eventually securing a thrilling 22-20 victory on Mirage after a hard-fought and intense battle.
In the final stage, the fourth map selected was Inferno, which was Vitality’s second choice for the encounter. It seemed as though Team Vitality dominated NAVI on Mirage, with Dan “apEX” Madesclaire spearheading his team to a commanding 10-2 lead in the attack round of Inferno. Although NAVI managed to recoup some rounds, they failed to narrow the gap against Vitality, ultimately losing Inferno 9-13 and the series 1-3.
Due to their extraordinary efforts, Team Vitality is awarded a grand sum of $400,000 as prize money and gets direct entries to not only the BLAST Premier World Final but also IEM Katowice 2025.
If you’re interested in watching the whole final day of IEM Cologne 2024, you might find it convenient to have a look at the video below. It offers approximately nine hours of content, encompassing the showmatch, the entire Grand Finale, interviews with players, and analysis sessions. Have fun!
Keep an eye on our esports segment for the freshest news, developments, esports content, interviews, and much more!
Read More
- CKB PREDICTION. CKB cryptocurrency
- EUR INR PREDICTION
- ICP PREDICTION. ICP cryptocurrency
- PBX PREDICTION. PBX cryptocurrency
- TANK PREDICTION. TANK cryptocurrency
- BSW PREDICTION. BSW cryptocurrency
- GEAR PREDICTION. GEAR cryptocurrency
- IMX PREDICTION. IMX cryptocurrency
- USD DKK PREDICTION
- PENDLE PREDICTION. PENDLE cryptocurrency
2024-08-19 10:43