The first matchday of Group A at IEM Chengdu 2025 ended with expected wins for the favorites — Spirit confidently defeated paiN, while Falcons left TYLOO no chance. Both teams continue their path in the upper bracket, while their opponents now stand one step away from elimination.
Tournament context
IEM Chengdu 2025 is a prestigious Intel Extreme Masters series tournament taking place from November 3 to 9, 2025, in Chengdu, China. Sixteen teams are competing for a $1,000,000 prize pool. The event is part of the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) system, which affects rankings and qualification for the upcoming Major. The group stage format is Double Elimination (Bo3). Winners move forward in the upper bracket, while those who lose drop to the lower bracket, where there is no room for mistakes.
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How the match unfolded — Spirit vs paiN
Spirit opened the tournament with a confident 2:0 victory over paiN, preventing the Brazilians from putting up a fight.
- Ancient (Spirit pick) — 13:7
chopper’s team dominated from the first rounds. donk and sh1ro confidently controlled mid, while the team’s solid defensive structure left paiN’s attack with no options. - Nuke (paiN pick) — 13:11
The Brazilians managed to resist only on their own map, but Spirit once again proved more consistent in the key moments. zejwh and donk secured several clutch rounds, sealing a 2:0 overall victory.
Player of the Match — Ivan “zweih” Gogin
The key player was Ivan “zweiH” Gogin, who remained the most consistent performer for Spirit throughout the match.
- K–D: 36–28
- ADR: 93.7
- Rating 3.0: 1.46
His precision and aggressive entry plays formed the foundation of Spirit’s success on both maps.
How the match unfolded — Falcons vs TYLOO
Falcons began the tournament with an easy 2:0 win over TYLOO, showing full control throughout the series.
- Inferno (TYLOO pick) — 13:8
The Chinese squad started strong, but Falcons quickly took control of the game. m0NESY dominated the sniper duels, while NiKo consistently held key positions. - Ancient (Falcons pick) — 13:3
On their own map, Falcons looked untouchable. kyxsan and TeSeS denied TYLOO any effective entry onto sites, securing a lightning-fast victory.
Player of the Match — Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
The standout player was Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, who delivered one of the best individual performances of the day.
- K–D: 46–19
- ADR: 119.1
- Rating 3.0: 2.06
m0NESY became the driving force behind Falcons’ success — his dominance with the AWP left no chance for the opponent.
VRS results
- Spirit: +26 pt (1783 → 1809) — rise to #8
- paiN: –5 pt (1551 → 1546) — remain at #19
- Falcons: +11 pt (1872 → 1883) — remain at #3
- TYLOO: –2 pt (1444 → 1442) — remain at #21
What’s next for the teams
Spirit will face Falcons tomorrow, November 4, in the Upper Semifinals match, which will determine the finalist of the upper bracket.
paiN will meet TYLOO in Lower Round 1 — a loss in this match will mean elimination from the group.
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Match summary
Spirit and Falcons began IEM Chengdu 2025 with dominant 2:0 victories. Both teams look ready to compete for direct playoff qualification, showing strong form and consistency.
paiN and TYLOO now find themselves in the danger zone — the next match will be their chance to stay in the tournament.
