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G2 Esports secured the first spot in the Esports World Cup Counter-Strike 2 grand final after a swift victory over Virtus.pro (13-4, 13-7), finishing the match in under two hours.
Nikola “NiKo” Kovač delivered an outstanding performance, leading G2 with a 1.89 rating.
It all came up @G2CSGO in the first semi final at the #CS2 #EsportsWorldCup
They quickly move past @virtuspro with a clean 2-0 pic.twitter.com/vjrnOubmgg
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 20, 2024
Virtus.pro initially gained a lead on Dust 2 with a 1v2 clutch from Petr “fame” Bolyshev, but G2 quickly turned the tide once they had money.
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov’s clutch in the first gun round sparked a dominant 9-0 run.
The Kovač cousins, NiKo and Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač, accumulated 32 frags between them, propelling G2 to an easy victory.
An outstanding 3v5 turnaround, led by Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa, on the opening round of Ancient, continued to heap pressure on Virtus.pro.
It took 10 rounds for Virtus.pro to win their first before claiming the final three of the first half; however, G2 would wrestle back control quickly in the second half.
Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski’s three kills in the pistol round dashed Virtus.pro’s comeback hopes, and m0NESY sealed the match with a stunning 1v3 clutch in round 20.
NiKo attributed their success to exceptional team synergy, describing the event as a “honeymoon” period for the new roster.
“We just have to take it map by map, event by event,” he said.
“For now, we want to enjoy this honeymoon.”
Natus Vincere also booked their spot in the grand final of the Esports World Cup event after defeating MOUZ (1-13, 13-5, 13-8), overcoming a rough start on Dust 2.
After getting dominated on the first map @natusvincere turned it around, reverse sweeping @mousesports in order to reach the Grand Final 💯#CS2 #EsportsWorldCup pic.twitter.com/gX7HpEix2T
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 20, 2024
MOUZ initially dominated with a 13-1 scoreline, but Na’Vi bounced back on Nuke, claiming the second map thanks to dominant performances from Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov and Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy.
They maintained their momentum on Mirage, taking a commanding 9-3 lead and eventually winning the map 13-5.
Natus Vincere will face the revamped G2 lineup in the grand final in Riyadh, marking their first encounter since the semi-finals at the PGL Major Copenhagen.
Esports World Cup CS2 Grand Final details
- G2 Esports (-138.89) vs Natus Vincere (+100) @ 9pm AST
