G2 starts strong in Cologne
Following a disheartening performance at BLAST Fall Groups, G2 arrived in Cologne with hopes of making a resounding comeback. Their first foes were Astralis, who emerged from the play-ins. With both teams hungry to prove their mettle, the BO3 came down to Ancient, Inferno and Nule to determine a winner.
The first half of Ancient was highly competitive, with Astralis attempting to probe the A site initially. But instead were mowed down by the stronghold of jks and huNter-. After losing the initial 4 rounds, blameF's lurk punished the overration of G2, by securing the A bombsite for free amidst all the chaos on B. The round victory provided Astralis with a surge of momentum, enabling them to snatch the lead from G2 with a score of 5-4. However, G2 quickly bounced back, with Hunter finding impact on mid, and they finished the first half on a strong note, leading 9-6.
It was anyone's game at that point. But right from the outset of the second half, G2 failed to get anything going. Once device pulled out his AWP, G2's prospects darkened considerably. The strong lead that they had built in the first half had vanished, and Astralis took the lead of 11-9. At this crucial juncture, it was NiKo who stepped up, as he got two quick entries on the B site, and brute forced his way to the round win.
With the ensuing round carrying a lot of significance in determining the course of the match, NiKo and m0NESY gave their side a two-man advantage. However, a last-second rotation to B proved fatal for G2, as Staehr dispatched 3, ultimately securing the round. Following that round, G2 got a chance to bounce back with so many clutch opportunities. Since none of those went their way, G2 ended up losing the map 16-12, in their favorite way of losing by time.
Mad after the way the first map ended, NiKo dominated the start of Inferno, with 3 crips P250 headshots, and a knife kill. He was single-handedly tearing through the defenses of Astralis, which was evident from his 11 kills as G2 led 5-1. He single-handedly tore through Astralis' defenses, amassing 11 kills as G2 took a commanding 5-1 lead. However, without adequate support from jks and huNter-, and with NiKo's performance cooling off, Astralis began to regain ground. G2 couldn't maintain their hold on the half, and by the end of it, it was Astralis who took the lead at 9-6.
To rub salt in their wounds, Astralis clinched the second pistol as well, further adding to their lead. Nevertheless, G2 showcased their resilience. The game evolved into a force-buy war. and ultimately it was G2 who came on top of that. It helped G2 string together 5 rounds in a row, with a standout round from m0NESY where he secured an ace to shut down a B rush. As a result, Inferno was won by G2 with a scoreline of 16-13.
Carrying the momentum from Infern forward, G2 looked stellar on the CT side of Nuke. With all their key players delivering, G2 encouraged proactive plays. It disrupted Astralis' plans and, and resulted in G2 asserting dominance. Despite device and Staehr managing two impressive 1v3 clutches to help Astralis get 4 rounds on the board, G2 sat at a comfortable lead going into the second half.
With a fiery determination, HooXi led G2 in a rapid top rush on the pistol round, yielding outstanding results as they converted the 2v2 situation. From there on, there was no stopping G2. While Astralis showed some life in the final moments, it was HuNter- who put an end to their last-minute antics with an impressive 1v3 clutch, ultimately sealing the map with a scoreline of 16-9 in favor of G2.
G2Astralis| G2 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač |
68 - 52 | +16 | 86.1 | 74.4% | 1.24 |
| Nemanja 'huNter-' Kovač |
65 - 52 | +13 | 82.0 | 79.3% | 1.21 |
 Ilya 'm0NESY' Osipov |
56 - 44 | +12 | 69.1 | 75.6% | 1.18 |
 Justin 'jks' Savage |
48 - 53 | -5 | 73.5 | 80.5% | 1.08 |
 Rasmus 'HooXi' Nielsen |
44 - 55 | -11 | 58.5 | 69.5% | 0.88 |
| Astralis |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolai 'device' Reedtz |
74 - 57 | +17 | 92.3 | 74.4% | 1.34 |
| Benjamin 'blameF' Bremer |
45 - 51 | -6 | 69.4 | 70.7% | 0.96 |
| Victor 'Staehr' Staehr |
53 - 63 | -10 | 73.3 | 67.1% | 0.94 |
| Christian 'Buzz' Andersen |
41 - 56 | -15 | 61.5 | 62.2% | 0.80 |
| Johannes 'b0RUP' Borup |
41 - 58 | -17 | 57.3 | 58.5% | 0.79 |
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