The opening match of IEM VI Kiev saw SK Gaming beat their countrymen Lions swe 16:11 on mirage. mirage is one of Lions' best maps but SK were too much for them, racking up a huge 12:3 first half. Lions made a comeback on their own CT side, reaching eight rounds, but were finished off to take a loss in their opening game.



The loss puts Lions in the position of most likely needing to beat Na`Vi in the last game of the group. The Ukrainians are one of the very best teams in the world but Lions will be fondly thinking back to their semi-final win over the Eastern Europeans at Dreamhack Winter.

SK will face Na`Vi now in a clash of the two best teams in attendance and a possible preview of the final of the event. With Na`Vi's epic train victory from Dreamhack still in mind both teams will be hungry going into this match. Na`Vi hasn't won a big tournament in around 10 months, while SK can feel like they have had their chances to win tournaments cut short by losses to Na`Vi at SEC and Dreamhack.