magixx on the match against 9z at the IEM Cologne Major: “This match was one of the toughest of my life.”
Daria Ushakova
Team Spirit captain Boris “magixx” Vorobyov, in an interview at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, praised 9z Team for their high level of play and also discussed the challenges his team faced during the match.
On the match against 9z Team
I feel like this match was one of the toughest of my life. They played incredibly well and punished us for many of the mistakes we made. We played poorly, made a lot of mistakes, and they took advantage of that. It was a crazy match.
On playing Overpass
I think I really messed up that game. I probably played very poorly. But overall, we somehow managed to win the match—I don’t know how that’s possible.
On the mood during the match
At some point after the first map, I was really nervous. <...> Overall, we played incredibly well at times. When we were backed into a corner, we managed to show what we’re capable of.
Earlier, Team Spirit advanced to the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs after defeating 9z Team 2-1 in maps. The “Dragons” lost to their opponents 12–16 on the first map, Overpass, but then won on Mirage (16–13) and Dust2 (16–14).
Photo by Stephanie Lindgren, BLAST.
Daria Ushakova
