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Published: October 16, 2023

Written by: Stefan Velikov

  • Vitality unexpectedly leaves IEM Sydney on day one of the event
  • FaZe defeated them 2-1 in Group A’s lower bracket
  • The winners made a spectacular reverse sweep on the final map

The first IEM tournament to be played on Counter-Strike 2 has already seen some unexpected events as Vitality are sent home packing after suffering a defeat in their hard-fought match against FaZe.

FaZe Defeat Vitality

IEM Sydney started earlier today but it has already seen some quite unexpected outcomes. One of these is the early departure of one of the favorites, Team Vitality. Dan “⁠apEX⁠” Madesclaire and company go home after two difficult losses, the first one being an elimination from BetBoom. The match, which was hard-fought, ending in a close 16-14, sent Vitality to Group A’s lower bracket, but it was FaZe who dealt the last blow.

FaZe themselves were relegated to the lower bracket after suffering an even more protracted match against GamerLegion, which went into two overtimes and ended in a 15-19. However, the American team bounced back in their encounter against Vitality, beating them in yet another hard-fought match that ended in a 2-1.

The match started on Overpass, where Vitality had a strong CT side before fending off FaZe’s comeback in overtime. However, FaZe had the edge on the second map, Inferno, where the squad had to eco on a few occasions, but did so at the right times, which allowed them to eke out a 13-10 victory.

It was all down to Nuke, where Vitality quickly gained a huge 8-1 advantage. However, the team squandered this, letting their opponents get four weapon rounds on the Terrorist side was enough to make a comeback viable. FaZe exploited that and when the sides switched, and they were on CT, they made an almost perfect run. Finn “⁠karrigan⁠” Andersen, the in-game leader himself, even made one crucial round to get the series across the finish.

“It’s been a long day, I feel like I’ve played a few MR15s,” he said in an interview after the match. “It’s been a rough day, but it’s the same for both teams, playing that late or playing that early, but it is what it is, in the end, it’s the percentage that makes you win the game.”

IEM Sydney is the first IEM tournament played on CS2 and it has already shown some very interesting things from day one. While Vitality unexpectedly left the event quite early, FaZe is preparing to go up against Natus Vincere, another formidable opponent.

Time will tell how FaZe will perform after already having to go through three overtimes in four maps on the opening day of the tournament.

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CS:GO FaZe IEM Vitality
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Stefan Velikov

Stefan is a well-versed gamer who loves every aspect of gaming - including its most competitive nature. He is bringing you the latest updates from the world of esports as he painstakingly tracks dozens of competitions. 

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1
Live odds: CS:GO

00:00 AM

Home

Away

Wil
NRG
1.85
1.84

02:30 AM

Home

Away

M80
FLU
1.06
8.85

02:30 AM

Home

Away

Par
BOS
1.75
1.95

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