Team Spirit captain Leonid chopper Vishnyakov shared his impression of the atmosphere at IEM Rio Major 2022. The esportsman also spoke about how the team prepared for the match against Team Liquid.

For the crowd to root for you, you must achieve respect and show some results. Therefore, it is understandable why everyone is rooting against us. Other teams have larger fan bases. For us, this is nothing to worry about. I only faced for the first time at the end of the game, when the score was 13:13, when the crowd did not stop yelling. It was already felt that the intensity of passions was great, and quick rounds began from them and us. And it was not a habit. Not even in Antwerp, although there were more people on stage.

Leonid chopper Vishnyakov

Vishnyakov said that the team played many training matches with Liquid, so they were fully prepared for the game with the team from North America. He also noted that the team woke up early on the day of the meeting with Team Liquid to study the opponent further.

We had enough time to prepare for Liquid. We also played a lot of training sessions with them - ten games in two weeks, maybe more. We understood how they play. They also knew how we play. We knew they would pick Mirage. They knew we would pick Vertigo. On the third, they wanted to play Overpass, because on this map we played a lot of practice against each other. We were also ready for Ancient. We had enough time. We got up at noon and prepared hard for them.

Leonid chopper Vishnyakov

Spirit made it to the playoffs of IEM Rio Major 2022, beating Liquid in the decisive match. Her opponent in the quarterfinals of the major will be Heroic. The game is scheduled for November 11, 8:00 PM Moscow time. You can follow the progress of the championship here.