XTQZZZ Blames Execution After 9z Loss; Spirit Regain Confidence

At IEM Cologne Stage 3 group phase, coach Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam blamed poor execution and a failed second-round forcebuy for his side’s defeat to 9z. The coach said the opening map went according to plan but the team “were not there” on Mirage, and that T-side work did not convert into rounds.

XTQZZZ pointed to a run of small errors late in the decider and highlighted the forcebuy as a specific problem: “the last map, it was a good start, but then we failed two or three things and of course the second-round forcebuy is a big issue right now for us.” He also praised 9z for their momentum and credited them for a strong performance.

Team Spirit coach B1ad3 described the win over Legacy as a reset after a below-par showing the previous day. “This win is important for us because our goal for today was to wake up, first of all, to activate our potential,” he said, adding that the team aimed for louder communication and more on-the-fly planning to create micro plans during rounds.

B1ad3 stressed the lineup’s experience and the squad’s ability to identify problems after losses: “we are not a young team, we’ve played with this lineup for a long time, so we know our potential. And if we lose, we can always understand why we lose, we are not delusional, we can understand what we need to fix.” He said the team expects to improve incrementally with each match.

Separately, sAw commented on preparing for a rematch against FUT, noting recent match history introduces adjustments and psychological elements. He said recent meetings create “mind games” and that FUT’s aggressive style forces more reactive, one-versus-one situations. “I’m happy we came on the winning side and got our revenge this time,” he added.

The remarks were made during the Stage 3 group phase at IEM Cologne, where teams play multiple fixtures in a single day and must adapt quickly between series. Coaches focused on execution, communication and small in-game errors as factors that affected outcomes in the matches reported here.