G2 defeat NAVI 2–1 and move to 2–0 at ESL Pro League Season 23

G2 Esports secured a 2–1 victory over Natus Vincere in a match of ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2. After NAVI confidently won Dust2, the European squad managed to turn the series around by winning Mirage and Ancient, improving their record to 2–0 in the group.

Map veto:

1. G2 removed Nuke
2. Natus Vincere removed Overpass
3. G2 picked Dust2
4. Natus Vincere picked Mirage
5. G2 removed Anubis
6. Natus Vincere removed Inferno
7. Ancient was left over

The match began on Dust2, G2’s map pick. NAVI started on the CT side and completely controlled the first half, finishing it with a 10–2 lead. After the side switch, G2 tried to come back into the game, but the Ukrainian team had no trouble securing the remaining rounds and closed Dust2 with a 13–5 victory.

On Mirage, NAVI’s map pick, G2 looked much stronger. Playing confidently on both sides, G2 prevented NAVI from executing their usual rounds, which ultimately led to a 13–5 victory for G2 on their opponent’s pick.

G2 also showed strong resilience on the deciding map Ancient. Starting on the T side, they managed to secure nine rounds in the first half. After the side switch, NAVI were unable to get back into the game and eventually fell 7–13.

Match MVP

The best player of the match was MATYS from G2, who delivered a consistent performance throughout the series. He finished the match with 91.4 ADR and a 1.37 rating.

Despite being considered the favorites in this match, NAVI now move to the 1–1 bracket, while G2 advance with a 2–0 record and could secure a playoff spot if they win their next match. ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 2 runs from March 6 to March 10, where 16 teams compete for playoff spots, while the remaining eight teams will share $185,000 in prize money.