The Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, witnessed a thrilling finale to the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Rio 2023 tournament as Vitality defeated Heroic in a nail-biting two-map series.
The French side managed to take down the Danish team 16-8 on Vertigo and 16-13 on Inferno to claim the championship title and the lion’s share of the $250,000 prize pool.
Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, the French player, was ecstatic with the win but also reminded his team that they still have work to do before the upcoming Major. He praised their map pool, which he said has improved significantly, especially on their weakest map. He also mentioned the challenges of incorporating the Danish players into the team but was optimistic about the progress they have made.
Casper “cadiaN” Møller, the Danish in-game leader (IGL) of Heroic, was disappointed with his team’s performance in the final.
In a post-match interview, he said, “We never really clicked today, we just played poorly, off timings, I don’t know what to say.” He also cited the tough tournament schedule, from Pro League to the Regional Major Rankings (RMR) and then to IEM Rio, as a possible reason for his team’s struggles.
The first map, Vertigo, saw Vitality take a 5-0 lead on the Terrorist side, which they managed to maintain throughout the game, securing an 8-7 halftime lead. Vitality’s star player, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, had a phenomenal game with 29 kills and only 13 deaths. Heroic struggled to get going on the defensive side, and despite a valiant effort from Rasmus “sjuush” Beck, they were unable to catch up, losing the map 16-8.
On Inferno, Vitality continued their dominant form and took a 7-1 lead on the T side, thanks to strong performances from Magisk and dupreeh. However, Heroic mounted a comeback, winning five rounds in a row to reduce the deficit to 7-6. The game continued to be closely contested, with both teams trading rounds back and forth. In the end, Vitality emerged victorious, winning the second map 16-13.
The win in IEM Rio 2023 is a significant one for Vitality, who had not won a top-tier tournament since November 2022. It is also a confidence boost for the team heading into the upcoming BLAST Paris Major, which is set to take place in June.
The IEM Rio 2023 tournament featured some of the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) teams from around the world, including FURIA, FaZe, and Natus Vincere, among others. The tournament took place over five days, from April 17th to April 21st, with 16 teams battling it out in a double-elimination format.
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