The lower bracket of the group stage leaves no room for error, so every series here turns into a match for tournament survival. Lower finals become especially tense, where one team receives the last ticket to the playoffs, while for the other, defeat immediately ends the entire run.
Tournament context
BLAST Open Porto 2026 is played with a group stage in a double elimination Bo3 format. In the Lower final, the winner receives a place in the playoff Quarter-finals, while the losing team leaves the tournament after the end of the group stage.
In the decisive lower-bracket series of Group A, G2 and Aurora met for the second time at this tournament. In the Opening round, G2 had already defeated the opponent with a 2:0 score, but this time Aurora put up a much more serious fight and forced the series to a third map.
How the match unfolded — G2 vs Aurora
Series score: 2:1 in favor of G2
- Anubis (Aurora’s pick) — 13:7
Aurora started the series well on their own pick and immediately put G2 in a difficult position. The Turkish roster controlled the flow of the map better, converted key rounds more consistently, and took a 1:0 lead in the match. - Inferno (G2’s pick) — 19:16
On their own choice, G2 had to go through the most tense scenario possible. Aurora stayed close again and pushed the map into overtime, but this time G2 played the decisive rounds better and tied the score in the series. - Mirage (decider) — 13:1
The deciding map completely belonged to G2. After the difficult Inferno, the team sharply raised the tempo, practically left Aurora with no chances to return to the match, and closed Mirage with a crushing 13:1 score.
Player of the Match — Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko (G2)
- K–D: 55–39
- ADR: 91.7
- Rating 3.0: 1.46
Key contribution: HeavyGod became G2’s main individual force in the decisive series, finishing the match with the best rating and the largest positive K–D difference on his team.
VRS results
- G2 — +31 pt → 1761 pt
The victory brought G2 a significant increase in ranking points. The team kept eighth place in VRS, but significantly strengthened its overall total before moving into the playoffs. - Aurora — -8 pt → 1598 pt
The loss cost Aurora eight ranking points, while the team remained in 12th position. The much more important consequence was the end of their run at BLAST Open Porto 2026.
What’s next?
G2 advance to the Quarter-finals of BLAST Open Porto 2026 and will continue the fight in the single elimination bracket, where the next loss will also mean elimination from the tournament.
Aurora end their run at the tournament after losing in the Lower final of Group A. The team managed to reach the final match of the lower bracket, but did not use its last chance to qualify for the playoffs.
Match summary
G2 had to go through a much more difficult path than in their first meeting with Aurora at this tournament. After losing Anubis, the team found itself under pressure, but withstood the extended Inferno, tied the score in the series, and completely turned the match scenario around.
The key moment was G2’s ability to adapt after the opening loss and sharply improve on the deciding Mirage. As a result, the team earned a 2:1 victory, +31 VRS points, and a place in the Quarter-finals, while Aurora ended its run at BLAST Open Porto 2026.
