Virtus Pro’s Disappointing Performance at ESL One Cologne
Virtus Pro, the veteran Polish esports team, made history at ESL One Cologne by becoming the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after a poor performance in the first two days.
Unfortunately, Virtus Pro failed to secure a win in their first three games. In the swiss format of the tournament, teams need to reach three wins to advance or face elimination after three losses.
On day one, Virtus Pro was expected to perform well against Immortals, especially since Immortals had just finished the Krakow Major Qualifier. However, the Polish team was defeated 16-11 by the Brazilians.
In their second game, Virtus Pro had an unfortunate draw. After the highly successful team SK Gaming was upset by underdogs Space Soldiers, Virtus Pro had to face them in the lower matches. SK Gaming recovered from their loss and defeated Virtus Pro 16-9.
Coming into day two, Virtus Pro needed a flawless performance to qualify. However, they continued to struggle in their match against Heroic. Heroic took the lead with seven swift rounds and finished the first half 13-2 ahead. Despite attempting to make a comeback, Virtus Pro ultimately lost 16-9.
This disappointing performance raises concerns for the veteran team. With three and a half years playing together, Virtus Pro is one of the most established teams in the game and has won a Major title. However, since their victory at DreamHack Masters Las Vegas in February, they have struggled with results, being relegated from the ESL Pro League and failing to reach the top four in major events.
Despite extensive preparation for the Cologne tournament, Virtus Pro’s efforts did not pay off. They will now need to regroup before the Krakow Major, which begins in less than two weeks.
Another team, Tyloo, also faced disappointment as they exited the competition with a 0-3 record. They were defeated by Cloud9 in the elimination match, after Cloud9 suffered a heartbreaking loss against Natus Vincere in six overtimes, with a score of 34-32.
Meanwhile, Na`Vi and SK Gaming were victorious against Space Soldiers and North, respectively, in today’s games. Later, Ninjas in Pyjamas will compete against Mousesports, and Team Liquid will face OpTic Gaming for the first spots in the playoffs. These four teams have surpassed expectations, while the tournament favorites are currently fighting in the middle of the pack.
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