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Natus Vincere (NaVi) emerged victorious at IEM Rio 2024, clinching the trophy with a 3-1 win over MOUZ in the grand final on October 13.
The triumph marked NaVi’s fourth major event win of the year, adding to their already impressive record after victories at PGL Major Copenhagen, the Esports World Cup, and ESL Pro League Season 20.
Champions once again in 2024
🏆 @natusvincere 🏆#IEM pic.twitter.com/2GO3OAtlTh
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 13, 2024
The international Counter-Strike roster once again demonstrated their tenacity, pulling off an incredible comeback on the fourth map, Ancient, to seal the series.
NaVi’s journey to the championship wasn’t straightforward.
They faced a challenging road to the finals, dropping a map to Team Liquid in the group stage and suffering a loss to FURIA Esports in their seeding match.
However, they rebounded during the playoffs, overcoming Virtus.pro in the quarter-finals and surviving a tense semi-final clash against HEROIC.
This marked their sixth consecutive grand final appearance, showcasing their consistency and resilience throughout a gruelling schedule.
The grand final began on MOUZ’s pick, Inferno, where the teams engaged in a scrappy back-and-forth battle.
Despite MOUZ securing a narrow 7-5 lead at the half, NaVi’s successful 2v4 retake swung the momentum in their favour, allowing them to edge out a 13-11 victory.
The second map, Dust2, saw NaVi dominate with a 10-2 offensive half, closing it out swiftly with a 13-2 win.
MOUZ showed signs of life on Mirage, carving out an early 6-1 lead and extending it to 8-4 by halftime.
A spectacular ace by Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás in the second pistol round set the stage for MOUZ to take their first map, 13-6, narrowing NaVi’s series lead to 2-1.
With the series hanging in the balance, the fourth map, Ancient, seemed poised to push the contest to a decider.
MOUZ built a commanding 10-2 lead at halftime, driven by standout performances from Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo and Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin on defence.
However, NaVi refused to back down.
Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen rallied his team, and fueled by an outstanding showing from Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov, NaVi launched a dramatic comeback.
They won eight consecutive rounds in the second half, turning a 2-10 deficit into a 13-11 victory, securing the championship in regulation.
“We spoke about it the whole tournament, no matter how much you’re down, you can still win,” NaVi’s Justinas “jL” Lekavicius said.
“But it also works both ways, no matter how much you are up, you can still lose, so keep focus.”
His words encapsulated the resilience NaVi displayed not just in the grand final but throughout the tournament.
Following NaVi’s victory, jL was awarded with his second straight MVP after claiming the same award at ESL Pro League Season 20 in September.
HIS SECOND IN A ROW.@jLcsgo_ IS YOUR #IEM RIO 2024 #ESLProTour DHL MVP! 🥳🇱🇹@DeutschePostDHL pic.twitter.com/6JPS61KH0c
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 13, 2024
For MOUZ, this grand final appearance was their first since BetBoom Dacha Belgrade in May, marking a significant improvement after a lacklustre ESL Pro League Season 20.
While they fell short of claiming the title, MOUZ’s young lineup showed promise, especially in their performances against formidable teams throughout the event.
Despite the heartbreak of losing from a 10-2 lead on Ancient, Jimpphat expressed optimism for the future, stating, “I don’t think we have that fear [of the stage] anymore. We have so much experience already that I think it’s basically overcome.”
NaVi’s win at IEM Rio 2024 solidifies their status as the top team in CS2, having successfully navigated a turbulent playoff run to claim their fourth title of the year.
The victory also keeps their Intel Grand Slam hopes alive, needing two more tournament wins to secure the million-dollar bonus.
As they continue their quest for greatness, NaVi has proven once again that they thrive under pressure, turning seemingly insurmountable deficits into triumphant victories.
