zorte on BetBoom Team: “To be honest, we were surprised ourselves to make it to the playoffs, since we didn’t train that much.”
Alexey Mikhailov
BetBoom Team’s sniper Alexander “zorte” Zagodyrenko spoke in an interview at the IEM Cologne Major 2026 about his team’s advancement to the tournament’s playoffs and their loss to Team Vitality, and also shared his thoughts on the match against Aurora Gaming.
On advancing to the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs
Our journey at this Major has been tough and unpredictable. To be honest, we were surprised ourselves that we made it to the playoffs, since we hadn’t practiced that much. Our team is finding its form as the tournament progresses. It’s great that we managed to get this far.
On the loss to Team Vitality
Everyone was a little nervous going into the match against Vitality. After the loss, we talked it over and realized that we weren’t playing our usual style, and we also made mistakes in key rounds and clutch moments. On top of that, our communication wasn’t good enough. We just need to focus on the basics and play our own brand of CS.
On facing Aurora Gaming
Aurora is a good opponent for us. I think they expect us to be nervous, but in my opinion, their players are under pressure too. In the upcoming match, we need to push Aurora out of their comfort zone. The arena is just a backdrop. It doesn’t matter how many people are there. I just want my team to focus on communication, strategies, and individual play. The opponent doesn’t matter.
BetBoom Team defeated FUT Esports 2-0 in maps in the match to advance to the playoffs of the IEM Cologne Major 2026. The Russian team is currently facing Aurora Gaming—a victory will send them to the tournament’s semifinals.
Alexey Mikhailov
