G2 defeat Vitality and secure semi-finals spot at IEM Winter 2021

The upper final started with Vitality’s map pick of Vertigo, but it was G2 to set the early tempo taking a 4-1 lead. G2's strong start was answered back by Vitality, who started finding the right footing late in the first half to close the gap to 9-6. Despite, Vitality beginning to find their footing late in the first half, they struggled to stabilize their defense in the second. NiKo's troops extended the lead 12-7. But Vitality started to make a comeback attempt despite the massive deficit.  ZywOo and company managed to tie up the game, 12-12. The Europeans were unable to stay in contention, only adding two more rounds to their tally before Vitality cruised to a 16-12 finish.

The second map to be played on Mirage, picked by G2. Once again, the Europeans got off to a good start, taking the lead 5-1 on the offense. The Frenchmen managed to take five rounds of their own before switching sides, trailing 5-10 at halftime. But similar to the first map, ZywOo and company had another gear in the second half, managed to take the lead for the first time 13-12. However, that still wasn't enough to secure victory as G2 battled back with three rounds in the closing moments to take a 16-14 map win.

The third and final map to be played was Inferno which saw Vitality start as the terrorist while G2 would be defending. The decider got off to a similar start, as G2 went up 5-1. Vitality came alive on the offense, as they strung four in a row powered by apEX to keep the score close. Switching sides saw G2 set the early pace again, winning the second pistol, further extended their lead 13-9. G2 did not let go of the lead and refused to cede control, only dropping two rounds in the second half as they claimed victory 16-9 and the series 2-1.

Vitality vs. G2 (1-2) | IEM Winter 2021 

16-14 (Vertigo) | NiKo – 1.32 Rating / 26-20 K-D / 94.6 ADR

14-16 (Mirage) | ZywOo – 1.34 Rating / 26-14 K-D / 83.4 ADR

9-16 (Inferno) | JaCkz – 1.54 Rating / 22-11 K-D / 86.3 ADR

MVP: NiKo – 1.24 Rating / 68-56 K-D / 91.7 ADR

IEM Winter 2021 overview – Liquid vs. NIP (0-2)

NIP has secured a quarter-finals spot at IEM Winter after besting Liquid in a two-map series in the Lower final, taking the North American team's map pick of Mirage before closing the series on Inferno. This sends NIP to the quarter-finals and sends Liquid home packing at IEM Winter.

6-16 (Mirage) | REZ - 2.11 Rating / 31-9 K-D / 135.4 ADR

12-16 (Inferno) | REZ – 1.33 Rating / 25-17 K-D / 88.9 ADR

MVP: REZ - 1.66 Rating / 56-26 K-D / 109.4 ADR