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<\/p>\nThe updated NAVI roster kicked off their IEM Cologne 2025 campaign with a hard-fought victory. This is their first major event since Justinas \u201cjL\u201d Lekavi\u010dius was benched and replaced by Drin \u201cmakazze\u201d Shaqiri, a rising star from NAVI Junior. In his Tier-1 debut, makazze showed composure and sharp aim, playing a key role in NAVI\u2019s 2-1 win over FaZe.<\/p>\n
The last time these teams met was at the BLAST Premier World Final 2024, but that was before EliGE and makazze joined NAVI. With broky returning to the starting lineup after spending several months on the bench, FaZe came into this match with renewed energy and confidence. Notably, this series marked broky\u2019s 1000th, 1001st, and 1002nd official maps played for FaZe \u2014 a major milestone in his career.<\/p>\n
The series began on Ancient, FaZe\u2019s map pick. NAVI looked strong early on, taking an 8:4 lead in the first half. However, FaZe turned things around on the CT side, with broky making crucial plays with the AWP to secure a narrow 13:11 win.<\/p>\n
On Mirage, NAVI\u2019s map pick, the Ukrainian squad bounced back. The first half ended in a 6:6 tie, but NAVI locked down their defense in the second half to close out the map 13:9.<\/p>\n
The decider, Nuke, saw NAVI take full control. After edging the first half 7:5, they completely shut down FaZe on the defense \u2014 not giving up a single round in the second half. The final score was a dominant 13:5, and NAVI claimed the series 2-1.<\/p>\n
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The standout performer was Valeriy \u201cb1t\u201d Vakhovskiy, who delivered across all three maps. He finished the series with 55 kills, an ADR of 86.4, and an impressive 1.36 rating.<\/p>\n