G2 secured a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Natus Vincere in the second Swiss round of ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2. The series swung back and forth across three maps before being decided on Ancient, where G2 closed the match convincingly. NAVI started strong with a comfortable win on Dust2, but G2 responded with dominant performances on Mirage and Ancient to complete the comeback and move to the 2–0 bracket of the Swiss stage.
Path through the tournament
Both teams entered this matchup with 1–0 records in the Swiss stage.
- NAVI began their Stage 2 campaign with a narrow 2–1 victory over Monte, surviving a difficult three-map battle to secure their opening win.
- G2, meanwhile, started the stage with a confident 2–0 win over FaZe, showing strong form and momentum coming into the second round.
With this result, G2 move to the 2–0 pool, placing themselves one series away from playoff qualification. NAVI drop to the 1–1 bracket, where every upcoming match becomes significantly more important.
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Dust2 — NAVI start the series confidently (13–7)
The series opened on Dust2, where NAVI looked composed and well-prepared from the very beginning. Their defensive setups consistently shut down G2’s attempts to take early map control. w0nderful and makazze delivered several important opening duels, while b1t provided stability in mid-round situations. G2 struggled to find consistent entries and often ran into strong crossfires on the bombsites.
Despite a few individual moments from m0NESY and huNter-, NAVI maintained control throughout the map and closed Dust2 with a comfortable 13–7 victory.
Mirage — G2 answer back (13–5)
G2 quickly reset the momentum on Mirage, where their aggressive mid control and faster pacing completely disrupted NAVI’s structure. MATYS and HeavyGod became the driving force of the map, consistently winning opening duels and forcing NAVI into difficult retake situations. G2 built an early lead and never allowed NAVI to regain control of the map.
The European squad dominated the second half and comfortably secured Mirage 13–5, tying the series and forcing a decider.
Ancient — G2 close the series (13–7)
The deciding map Ancient began relatively even, with both teams trading rounds in the early stages. However, as the game progressed G2 gradually took control of the pace. MATYS continued his impressive performance, finding key openings and multi-kill rounds that repeatedly broke NAVI’s defensive structure. G2’s coordinated executes and confident mid-round calls allowed them to string together crucial rounds.
NAVI attempted a late comeback, but G2 remained composed and closed the map 13–7, completing the reverse sweep and securing the series 2–1.
Match statistics
Player of the Match — Matúš “MATYS” Šimko
The G2 rifler delivered a standout performance across the entire series and finished as the highest-rated player of the match.
Across three maps he posted:
- 53–39 K-D
- +3.59% swing
- 91.4 ADR
- 70.7% KAST
- 1.37 rating
His aggressive openings and consistent multi-frag rounds played a decisive role in G2’s comeback.
VRS impact
The match also affected the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
- After the victory, G2 gained +23 VRS points, strengthening their position in the global ranking race.
- For NAVI, the defeat resulted in a –20 VRS point change, slightly weakening their standing and increasing the pressure for the remaining Swiss matches.
Team reactions
Both teams reacted to the result on social media shortly after the match concluded.
NAVI acknowledged the loss with a short message referencing the decisive map:
Too little, too late on Ancient (7:13). Moving on to the 1-1 bracket.
G2, on the other hand, responded in their typical humorous style, posting:
I HATE G2
I HATE G2
I HATE G2
…
oh
we won
I LOVE G2
The organization followed it up with another playful message:
We’re winning the major.
The posts quickly spread across the community, adding a light-hearted moment after an intense series.
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What comes next
With this win, G2 move one step away from the ESL Pro League Season 23 playoffs, needing just one more victory to secure qualification. Meanwhile, NAVI must now fight through the 1–1 bracket, where every upcoming series becomes crucial in the race for the playoffs.
