NAVI begin their ESL Pro League campaign with a victory over Aurora

NAVI successfully kicked off their run in the main stage of ESL Pro League Season 22, defeating Aurora 2–0. The team showed great resilience on both maps — Nuke (13–9) and Dust2 (13–10) — confidently turning the tide after a shaky start. The MVP of the match was makazze, whose outstanding individual performance helped NAVI secure an important opening victory.

Nuke (13–9 NAVI)

On their own map pick, NAVI fell slightly behind Aurora in the first half, ending it 5–7. The situation changed after the side switch, as NAVI moved to the CT side and started with a dominant streak of six consecutive rounds to take an 11–7 lead, eventually closing out the map 13–9 in their favor.

Dust2 (13–10 NAVI)

On their pick, Aurora built a solid advantage in the first half. jottAAA did his best to carry the team forward, but despite a solid 20/18 K-D, his efforts weren’t enough. In the 18th round, NAVI seized control and went on a decisive winning streak to take the map 13–10 and the series 2–0.

Match MVP

The best player of the match was makazze, whose consistent impact and key eliminations gave NAVI the upper hand throughout the series. His stats: ADR – 96.7, Swing +4.62, Rating – 1.5.

For NAVI, this is a strong start — they move to a 1–0 record and keep their sights set on the trophy. Aurora, on the other hand, begin the main stage with a loss and drop into the 0–1 pool. The ESL Pro League Season 22 main stage runs from October 4 to 12, with $100,000 going to the winning team and an additional $150,000 for the organization.