alex on s1zzi: “It doesn’t matter to him at all whether it’s a Major or some other tournament.”
B8 Esports captain Alexey “alex” Yarmoshchuk commented on the team’s victory over TYLOO in the tournament’s opening match during an interview at IEM Cologne Major 2026 and spoke about the integration of Daniil “s1zzi” Vinnik into the roster.
On the challenges in the match against TYLOO
On the defensive side, I think things should have been easier, but we had a 5v1 situation that then turned into a 1v1, and we lost all our economy. After that, it got tough. Plus, it’s the first game of the tournament, so it can be a little difficult, a little nerve-wracking, a little shaky. But when we switched to the offensive side, everything calmed down.
On team coordination
There was a situation where I had already said, “Let’s go save,” we were 2v4, with 20 seconds left. npl said, “Drop me off at the ‘window,’ and you run to B.” I just trusted him and ran to B, and he went into the “kitchen” and killed two. So it’s very important when the whole team communicates and offers ideas. That’s why we won all our rounds on B.
On the youngest participant in the Major, s1zzi
I think it doesn’t matter to him at all whether it’s a Major or some other tournament. He’s very confident. But sometimes we have a plan, and he needs to stick to that plan. Maybe sometimes he wants to play differently, but we don’t let him. But at the same time, he still has freedom of action; he can do a lot. We always lay out exactly what he can do. So, I think he played well. But the opponent played a little differently too, so he didn’t have too many opportunities to shine on the defensive side.
In their debut match at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, B8 Esports defeated TYLOO. The Ukrainian squad crushed the Chinese team 13-6 on Mirage. Later, Alexey “alex” Yarmoshchuk’s team defeated THUNDERdOWNUNDER and advanced to the bracket with a 2-0 record.
Photo — Stephanie Lindgren, BLAST.
