Photos: The first day in the LANXESS Arena

Take yourself through the LANXESS Arena with the best moments from the first day of playoffs at IEM Cologne.

After a four-day break, the remaining six teams in IEM Cologne entered the famous LANXESS Arena to put on their best show in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike. The first day would see the two quarterfinal matches played, pitting MOUZ against Astralis and Movistar Riders against Liquid. Both matches contained a team with a wealth of experience on the biggest stages, while their opponent was a younger, less-experienced team who had surprised many during the course of this event.

Our photographers Radosław “⁠MAKKU⁠” Makuch and Josip “⁠brcho⁠” Brtan were there to capture the fierce matches, player emotions, and interactions with the crowd on the first day of the playoffs. Below are some of the highlights from the day, with even more photos being found in the full gallery here.