IEM Cologne Major Stage 2 Day 2: Spirit and FUT Reach Stage 3 as G2 Enter Decider

Stage 2 Day 2 brought big results in Cologne. Spirit and FUT locked in their Stage 3 spots, FlyQuest and GamerLegion were knocked out, and G2 dropped into a tough do-or-die match against BIG. Check out the full recap and key moments from the day.

Spirit Set the Standard with a 3-0 Run

Spirit looked untouchable in Stage 2, sealing a 2-0 victory over 9z with dominant scorelines on Mirage (13-3) and Nuke (13-1). The win completed a perfect 3-0 run through the stage after earlier victories against BetBoom and MIBR. Across those four maps, Spirit conceded just 10 rounds.

Danil "donk" Kryshkovets once again stole the spotlight. His numbers were absurd even by his standards, and his Nuke performance stood out most: 23-7, 144.9 ADR, 100% KAST, and a 2.76 rating. Every opening duel seemed to go his way, and 9z struggled to find answers.

Andrey "tN1R" Tatarinovich provided strong support, while Dmitry "sh1ro" Sokolov quietly converted key rounds. Spirit rarely needed complicated mid-round recoveries. They controlled the pace from the start, won the crucial fights, and gave 9z almost no opportunities to build momentum.

FUT Break Through in Their First Major Campaign

FUT booked a Stage 3 spot in their first Major campaign after edging out G2 2-1. The series swung back and forth, with FUT taking Anubis 13-11, dropping Overpass 7-13, and dominating Ancient 13-4 to close it out.

Three moments defined the victory:

• An 8-4 CT half on Anubis that gave FUT early control.
• Their ability to withstand G2’s push back to 9-9 before securing the map.
• A one-sided Ancient performance that left G2 with no route back into the series.

The gamble on Anubis paid off despite FUT not having played the map in official competition for nearly three months. On the decider, Aulon "Krabeni" Fazlija was unstoppable, posting a 25-8 K/D, 134 ADR, and a 2.18 rating. Dmytro "dem0n" Myroshnychenko led FUT across the full series with a 47-37 K/D and 1.21 rating, while Laurențiu "lauNX" Țârlea added valuable support at 43-40.

G2 Drop into a High-Stakes BIG Matchup

G2 now face BIG for a Stage 3 spot from the 2-1 pool after their 2-1 loss to FUT. Despite the setback, a few G2 players still delivered strong numbers:

The bigger problem was converting key moments. On Ancient, G2 won both pistol rounds but still suffered a 4-13 defeat, a result that highlighted their struggles in gun rounds and mid-game control. Their Overpass performance told a different story, as they recovered from a 0-5 start to claim a convincing 13-7 win.

That inconsistency now puts extra pressure on the BIG matchup. G2 still have the firepower advantage on paper, but BIG arrive with momentum after beating MIBR and have already shown they can stay composed in high-pressure Cologne matches.

paiN and B8 Keep Their Major Runs Alive

paiN kept their Major hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over FlyQuest, winning Nuke 13-7 and Anubis 13-10. The Brazilians were sharper in the key rounds, especially on Anubis, where they stormed to a 9-1 lead before closing the map behind impact plays from piriajr, João "snow" Vinicius, and Vinicius "vsm" Moreira.

FlyQuest found a few openings, including a force-buy round led by Joshua "INS" Potter, but paiN consistently came out ahead when the pressure peaked.

B8's path was far more chaotic. They edged GamerLegion 2-1, taking Inferno 13-11, dropping Mirage 8-13, and completing a comeback on Nuke 13-11 after trailing 2-9. Andrii "npl" Kukharskyi paced the team with a 55-48 K-D, 83.1 ADR, and a 1.30 rating, while Artem "kensizor" Kapran contributed 56-48 with 88.5 ADR as B8 overturned the deficit and stayed alive in Cologne.

FlyQuest and GamerLegion Exit Cologne

FlyQuest left Stage 2 at 0-3 after earlier best-of-one losses to 9z and Legacy. Their Stage 1 run had shown fight, but Stage 2 gave them no easy matchups and no safety net.

GamerLegion also exited at 0-3 after the loss to B8. Oldřich "PR" Nový did everything he could, ending the series with 60-48, 89.6 ADR, and a 1.33 rating, the highest in the match. For a player on the losing side, that stat line says a lot. The team around him could not hold the Nuke lead when it mattered most.

Astralis Slide Toward Elimination After TYLOO Defeat

Astralis dropped into the 1-2 pool after a 13-6 defeat to TYLOO on Nuke, and the result raised even more concerns about their form on the map. The loss followed another one-sided Nuke setback against 9z, continuing a troubling trend.

A few numbers tell the story:

• TYLOO led 7-5 at halftime and never lost control.
• Su "Zero" Jingshen topped the server with an 18-10 K/D, 98.4 ADR, and a 1.43 rating.
• Yi "JamYoung" Yang added 16-10, 87.2 ADR, and a 1.42 rating, including a decisive 4K late in the game.

Astralis briefly found hope after winning the second-half pistol, but TYLOO immediately responded and closed the map comfortably. Gytis "ryu" Glušauskas was the lone standout for Astralis, finishing 17-13 with a 1.31 rating.

The Danish organization now heads into an elimination match against paiN. With multiple heavy Nuke losses already on record in Cologne, questions around their map pool are becoming harder to ignore.

BIG and Monte Build Momentum in the 2-1 Pool

BIG and Monte both advanced to the 2-1 pool after narrow but valuable wins on Day 2.

BIG looked comfortable against MIBR, with Benjamin "blameF" Bremer leading the way and posting a perfect 100% KAST. Gleb "gr1ks" Gazin chipped in with a 19-12 scoreline and 1.37 rating, while Josef "faveN" Baumann added 18 kills in the win.

Monte had a tougher path. Oscar "AZUWU" Bell delivered the highest rating of the two matches, but Legacy stayed competitive throughout thanks to Andrei "arT" Piovezan, who finished with 20-16, 98.0 ADR, and a 1.55 rating.

After the match, Aurimas "Bymas" Pipiras admitted Monte struggled with tilt following technical pauses, though the victory gave the team a boost heading into their next test against BetBoom. BIG now prepare for a high-pressure clash with G2, with Stage 3 qualification on the line.