HooXi on the loss to 9z Team at the IEM Cologne Major 2026: “It’s just a different pace of play”
Astralis captain Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen discussed the matches against GamerLegion and 9z Team in an interview at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, and also spoke about his individual form at the tournament.
On GamerLegion and 9z Team
We faced two completely different teams. GamerLegion plays tactically, with lots of feints and all sorts of tricks. And then there’s 9z Team, which plays straightforwardly, with a focus on aim. And it’s just a different pace of play. We just couldn’t adjust well enough to the pace on the CT side. And on the T side, we had some very rough rounds, to put it mildly. Honestly, we had good opportunities at least in the pistol round and the final round. If you don’t capitalize on the moment when you’re down 5-7 after the CT side, it’s tough.
On his form at the tournament
I was sick for three weeks. And my practices were terrible. So, to be honest, I didn’t expect to play well in the first game. But sometimes I struggle in my positions when we start on the CT side. <...> A lot depends on how the rounds go. I didn’t feel bad individually in the second game, even though the stats looked bad.
Right now, Astralis is in the 1:2 bracket of the second stage of the IEM Cologne Major 2026. Today, Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen’s team will face a do-or-die match against paiN Gaming—the match starts at 3:00 p.m. Moscow time.
