CS2: NaVi, MOUZ advance to IEM Cologne semifinals

Natus Vincere and MOUZ are through to the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne semifinals after contrasting victories in front of a raucous LANXESS Arena crowd on Friday, setting up blockbuster Counter-Strike 2 clashes against Team Spirit and Team Vitality, respectively.

NaVi booked their final-four ticket at IEM Cologne with a 2-0 sweep of The MongolZ, shaking off a rocky start on Inferno to eventually triumph in triple overtime.

Down 10-4, Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen’s squad clawed back on the counter-terrorist side with standout plays from new recruit Drin “makazze” Shaqiri, who overcame early-stage nerves to end Inferno with a 1.17 rating. He was even more impressive on Ancient, posting 1.64 and 113 ADR as NaVi cruised to a 13-6 win to close out the series.

Aleksib lauded the Kosovar debutant’s composure, saying, “He wasn’t smiling at all on the T side, but once he got rolling, he really came to life.” The result ends NaVi’s playoff drought and sets up a tantalizing semifinal against Spirit, a team that’s beaten them 2-0 in their last three meetings.

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  The bookies' bookie

Meanwhile, MOUZ edged past FURIA Esports 2-1 in a tense quarterfinal clash. They opened with a 19-16 overtime win on Train, dropped Mirage 10-13 despite a late fightback, and rallied again on Inferno.

After trailing 11-7 on the final map, MOUZ surged with six straight rounds, spurred by crucial moments from Dorian “xertioN” Berman and Lotan “Spinx” Giladi to claim the series.

FURIA’s highlight was a clutch 1v2 from Danil “molodoy” Golubenko, but unforced errors—including a costly round loss to pistols—ultimately proved decisive.

MOUZ now face Vitality, a team that’s beaten them in all seven meetings this year, winning 17 of 21 maps. However, with momentum and crowd experience on their side, Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin and co. may finally be ready to turn the tide.

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  Fast Payouts

IEM Cologne semifinal matches

Below you will find the two IEM Cologne semifinal matches, scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 2. Odds are courtesy of the best esports betting sites.

• Team Spirit (-333.33 at BetOnline) vs Natus Vincere (+240 at SportsBetting.ag) @ 3:45pm CEST
• Team Vitality (-454.55 at BetOnline) vs Natus Vincere (+300 at BetOnline) @ 7pm CEST