Vitality qualifies for Legend Stage after thriller match against OG
In a tense last map, it was the brilliance of ZywOo that drove the Bees to victory.
It looked like it was almost game over. Vitality was being run over by OG on Dust2. 1-5 was about to turn to 1-6 and crumple Vitality’s hunt for one of the last three remaining spots at the Legends Stage at IEM Rio. But then 2022’s arguably best player in the world stepped up.
The play from ZywOo changed the game. Vitality suddenly looked like a team, that believed again.
Before that, both teams had won their own map pick. Vitality needed overtime to get the job done on Vertigo, while OG looked much more in control on Inferno cruising home a 16-6 win.
So, it was definitely with an upper hand that OG went into war on Dust2, which just underlined the importance of ZywOo’s incredible play.
Vitality regained control and won the first half 8-7. After being a bit shell-shocked, OG found themselves again. On their T side, Nemanja 'nexa' Isaković called several good calls, but OG could not capitalize and lost clutch after clutch.
For OG Adam 'NEOFRAG' Zouhar had been lights out on the first two maps, but on Dust2 the firepower from the Czech was missing. With Spinx, Magisk, and dupreeh chipping in for Vitality, the French/Danish roster roared on to victory with an excellent second half that finally gave a promising look at what is perhaps to come further on in the tournament.
OG leaves IEM Rio with a lot of valuable experience after their first Major appearance in history.
OG – Team Vitality 1-2 | IEM Rio Major Challengers Stage
17-19 (Vertigo) | 
NEOFRAG – 1.29 Rating / 34-26 K-D / 103.3 ADR
16-6 (Inferno) | NEOFRAG – 1.51 Rating / 19-11 K-D / 90.3 ADR
8-16 (Dust2) | 
ZywOo – 1.86 Rating / 27-12 K-D / 113.9 ADR
MVP: Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut – 1.44 Rating / 60-41 K-D / 78.1 ADR
