The dream run at the IEM Cologne Major has come to a close for Latin American squad 9z, who went down swinging against FURIA in the second quarterfinal overnight.
9z jumped out of the gates with speed on Dust 2, catching FURIA off-guard in a one-sided affair that showed the underdogs were up for the fight. Unfortunately, they ran out of gas in the back half of the series where FURIA's experience shone.
It brings to an end a stellar fortnight for 9z, who entered Cologne in stage two and got right to work, dropping just one series to Spirit in their 3-1 record. They delighted fans further in stage three, taking down giants Vitality and claiming a map in the Spirit rematch before qualifying 3-2 over The MongolZ.
While they'd have loved to have gone the distance, 9z was over the moon with the run as a whole, and speaking to DFRAG following the loss, Argentinian star meyern was thrilled with the experience of playing in the Cathedral.
You may have fallen short here but the 9z fairytale run will live on in fans' memories for ages to come. How was the experience playing on the stage and at the biggest show of all?
"It was crazy. We played a really good tournament, I think we were getting better day by day, [but] it was really difficult today to play our game, especially on CT side on Mirage.
"We had some mistakes before, I think we played really well, but yeah, they're a really good team as well and I think we fought hard for this final. We did our best and that's the important part.
"This is the most important experience we as a team can have. So I really think we're going to approach this and the next tournament the same way. We'll be back really soon."
April's Animgraph2 update was a gamechanger, particularly for those wielding the AWP, which you've been leaning more and more into of late. How did you feel the update affected how you play, if at all?
"Yeah, it affected me in the beginning, I think, but I'm getting used to it. I think now I'm really a lot better. My teammates are helping me a lot and I always say that it's a more important thing for me.
"Also, getting this experience playing against tier one teams, it helped me a lot to improve faster and get used to the changes. Now I don't think it is affecting me at all."
Stay tuned to dfrag.gg and our revamped YouTube channel for more coverage of the IEM Cologne Major, live from the Cathedral of Counter-Strike itself.
Interview conducted by N3bu1a. Edited and published by Nicholas "Taffy" Taifalos
