OG eliminate Complexity from IEM Cologne

The only North American representatives exit Cologne in last place.

OG have eliminated Complexity from IEM Cologne in a confident 2-0 victory. The Nemanja "⁠nexa⁠" Isaković-led squad ended Mirage with a six-round streak to win 16-11 and took Complexity's pick of Overpass, 16-12, after a dominant CT-side showing. OG's win keeps them alive in the Play-In and sets them up for a do-or-die match on Friday against Apeks.

Date	Matches
IEM Cologne 2023 Play-in
28/07/2023	Apeks 19:30 OG	Match

Complexity, who were invited to the event as a replacement for paiN, exit the Play-In in last place. They were the only North American core in attendance but were unable to fly the flag for their region after losses to fnatic and OG ended their Cologne campaign.

"We are in between two playstyles at the moment," admitted Håkon "⁠hallzerk⁠" Fjærli in the post-match interview after their exit. "After EliGE came in we are changing a lot of things, and we are figuring how to move forward. When we figure that out we will be a force to be reckoned with."

The match started on Mirage, where the scores remained close for a long time, with much thanks going to Maciej "⁠F1KU⁠" Miklas' fragging and clutching. As the scoreline stood at 11-10 in favor of the North Americans, the Pole delivered once again by clutching a 1vs1. OG then took the game by the horns, not losing a single round on their way to a 16-11 victory.

Overpass started with OG's dominance, with the European squad demolishing Complexity's T side. The scoreline stood at 11-2 at one point before some overconfidence by the CT side helped Complexity get up to four at the half. A solid comeback attempt by the North Americans followed, and Jonathan "⁠EliGE⁠" Jablonowski and company got up to 12 rounds. The deficit proved too much to overcome, however, as Iulian "⁠regali⁠" Harjău's 1vs2 clutch secured Overpass and the series victory.