by G2 Esport’s new Counter-Strike 2 lineup clinched a 2-0 victory against The MongolZ in their Esports World Cup opener, with close scores of 13-11 on Ancient and 16-13 on Inferno.
Despite the win, it was a tough battle, requiring a combined 48 frags from Ilya “?m0NESY?” Osipov and Nikola “?NiKo?” Kova?.
G2 had to overcome a 6-10 deficit on the CT side of Inferno, ultimately prevailing in overtime.
This victory propels G2 directly into the playoffs, while The MongolZ move to the single-elimination best-of-one last chance stage of the Esports World Cup event.
G2’s freshness showed on Inferno, with clutches and anti-ecos proving challenging.
Mario “?malbsMd?” Samayoa stood out, maintaining his sharpshooting skills despite new CT roles.
His crucial plays, particularly in round 24 of Ancient, were pivotal in securing G2’s victory.
Despite their star duo’s dominance, G2’s win was unconvincing on both maps, reflecting the team’s need for further cohesion.
The MongolZ, led by Garidmagnai “?bLitz?” Byambasuren, also had their moments, with clutches from Sodbayar “?Techno?” Munkhbold showcasing their potential.
Both @G2CSGO and @FaZeClan open their #EsportsWorldCup campaign with a 2-0 victory! ??
Both teams advance to the playoffs and secure at least 60 Club Championship Points#CS2 pic.twitter.com/a17sGksiTU
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 17, 2024
Meanwhile, MOUZ and FaZe Clan advanced to the quarter-finals after narrow victories over FlyQuest and Sashi.
FaZe had to overcome deficits on both Anubis and Nuke, relying on key plays from Finn “?karrigan?” Andersen and Helvijs “?broky?” Saukants.
Natus Vincere and Team Vitality both secured quarter-final spots, defeating FURIA and M80, respectively.
Natus Vincere’s Valeriy “?b1t?” Vakhovskiy and Vitality’s Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut led their teams with decisive plays.
Team Spirit and Virtus.pro locked in their quarter-final positions, defeating MIBR and Complexity.
Virtus.pro showcased strong team play, particularly on Dust2, while Complexity struggled with individual inconsistency.
Going forward, the losers from the opening stage series will compete in the last chance stage, with the likes of FlyQuest, FURIA and Complexity expected to feature prominently.
We’ve got some bangers coming up in the playoffs ??
One more team will join them from the resurrection bracket!
But who will come out on top and win the #CS2 #EsportsWorldCup? pic.twitter.com/tqzxno4SkC
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 17, 2024
Thursday’s EWC CS2 matches
- JiJieHao ($3.70) vs Sashi ($1.26) @ 1:30pm AST
- FlyQuest ($2.02) vs FURIA ($1.78) @ 1:30pm AST
- The Mongolz ($1.50) vs MIBR ($2.55) @ 2:55pm AST
- M80 ($2.76) vs Complexity ($1.44) @ 2:55pm AST
