Virtus.pro outlast Gambit, secure ticket to IEM Winter playoffs

Gambit were unable to cross the finish line after going the distance on both maps.

Virtus.pro secure their second win at IEM WInter 2021 after a 2-0 sweep of Gambit in the upper semi-finals of Group B. Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali's squad had struggled in a close victory against a Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer-less ENCE on Thursday but bounced back against the CIS youngsters on day two with wins on Dust2 and Vertigo.

Virtus.pro have claimed the first playoffs spot from Group B after going undefeated on the way to the upper bracket final, where they will face the winner of BIG vs GODSENT for direct advancement to the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Gambit have dropped to the lower bracket and are set to play against FaZe in an elimination match.

Jame lead from the frontlines, delivering a 1.38 rating across the series

The CIS derby got started on Dust2 with Virtus.pro gaining the early advantage on the T side, as Jame brought his best form into the offensive to help his team earn an 8-2 lead. The youngsters from Gambit were successful in salvaging a competitive half late into their defense, cutting the deficit to 6-9 before halftime.

Sergey "⁠Ax1Le⁠" Rykhtorov came alive on the offense, opening up the doors for his squad to claw back their way into the game despite facing a 6-13 scoreline. Gambit forced Virtus.pro to go all the way to 30 rounds, securing overtime before being anticlimactically swept in extra time 15-19.

Vladislav "⁠nafany⁠" Gorshkov's boys faced another uphill battle on the second map, going down 5-10 before halftime on Vertigo after a flat performance on the offensive side. Virtus.pro perfectly settled in their defense with Evgenii "⁠FL1T⁠" Lebedev topping the scoreboard with a 15-7 K-D and 119.5 ADR in the first half.

After switching sides Gambit orchestrated a solid CT side that once again allowed them to go all the way to the distance but this time they were unable to fight for overtime. Not wanting to drag the affair any longer, Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis forced his way into the A bombsite to close the map 16-14, completing the 2-0 sweep.

IEM Winter 2021Best of 3

Gambit

Matchpage

0

2

3rd December 2021

Virtus.pro

15

Dust2

19

14

Vertigo

16

Gambit	K - D	+/-	ADR	KAST	Rating2.0
Sergey 'Ax1Le' RykhtorovAx1Le	45 - 41	+4	77.4	65.6%	1.04
Abay 'HObbit' KhassenovHObbit	36 - 49	-13	72.9	59.4%	0.89
Timofey 'interz' Yakushininterz	31 - 39	-8	57.2	67.2%	0.81
Dmitry 'sh1ro' Sokolovsh1ro	32 - 43	-11	51.8	59.4%	0.78
Vladislav 'nafany' Gorshkovnafany	33 - 48	-15	62.6	57.8%	0.77

Virtus.pro	K - D	+/-	ADR	KAST	Rating2.0
Dzhami 'Jame' AliJame	47 - 24	+23	76.8	84.4%	1.38
Evgenii 'FL1T' LebedevFL1T	47 - 35	+12	76.5	81.2%	1.21
Timur 'buster' Tulepovbuster	43 - 38	+5	73.1	67.2%	1.09
Aleksei 'Qikert' GolubevQikert	40 - 37	+3	64.6	76.6%	1.08
Mareks 'YEKINDAR' GaļinskisYEKINDAR	42 - 43	-1	78.5	62.5%	1.03