Natus Vincere eliminate The MongolZ in IEM Cologne 2025 Quarter-final

Natus Vincere secured a 2-0 win over The MongolZ in the IEM Cologne 2025 Quarter-finals, taking Inferno 22:18 in overtime and closing Ancient 13:6. The series was a best-of-three on LAN. NaVi move on to face Team Spirit in the Semifinals, while The MongolZ exit the tournament. The MVP of the match was Valeriy ‘b1t’ Vakhovskiy, who posted a 1.32 rating and 97.4 ADR, closely followed by Drin ‘makazze’ Shaqiri, also with a 1.32 rating.

Map 1 – Inferno (22:18 NaVi)

Natus Vincere picked Inferno, and it turned out to be a tightly contested brawl. The MongolZ managed an 8:4 lead on CT side, but NaVi bounced back with their own 8:4 half to force overtime. In the extra rounds, NaVi showed composure, eventually closing it out 22:18. Highlights included a 4k AWP hold from w0nderful on B and multiple impact rounds from Techno, who notched 4k rounds with the Glock and M4A4. 910 nearly pulled off a Deagle ace clutch, but iM shut him down at the last second.

Map 2 – Ancient (13:6 NaVi)

The MongolZ chose Ancient, but NaVi ran away with the first half, taking a dominant 11:1 CT side. The MongolZ clawed back a few rounds in the second half, but the gap was too wide. iM opened the map with a clean 4-kill Glock entry on B, and makazze controlled mid with crisp rifling all half long. b1t remained consistent with high-impact kills throughout, helping NaVi close the map 13:6.

With the win, Natus Vincere move on to the Semifinals, where they’ll meet Team Spirit. The MongolZ are eliminated from IEM Cologne 2025 after reaching the top eight. On the other side of the bracket, MOUZ eliminated FURIA earlier, setting up a clash against Vitality.

IEM Cologne 2025 is held in Cologne, Germany. The tournament is split into three stages: Stage 1 (July 26–28), Stage 2 (July 29–31), and Playoffs (August 1–4). The event features a $1,000,000 prize pool, with $400,000 for 1st place, $180,000 for 2nd, and $80,000 for 3rd-4th.