G2 overturn NAVI to reach IEM Cologne quarter-finals

G2 defeated Natus Vincere 2-1 at the IEM Cologne Major on June 15, 2026 in Cologne, recovering from a loss on Dust2 to win Inferno in overtime and close out the series on Mirage. The win advances G2 to the quarter-finals, where they are scheduled to play Spirit on June 19.

On Dust2, Natus Vincere opened the match with a 3-0 lead on the CT side. NAVI coach Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy switched to a double-AWP setup before the half, and NAVI led by two rounds at halftime. G2 then won six consecutive rounds after the break, but NAVI regained control late. Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov won a 1v4 clutch with 2 HP, and Drin “makazze” Shaqiri finished the map with a late-round play to secure the Dust2 win for NAVI.

Inferno featured alternating rounds early, with neither team building a long streak. G2 tightened their defense in the mid rounds while NAVI produced key individual plays from Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen and Mihai “iM” Ivan on the Terrorist side. Álvaro “SunPayus” García delivered a 1v2 pit clutch to put G2 up 12-8, but NAVI won four straight rounds to force overtime. In overtime G2 took one T-side round and then posted a 3-0 CT half to take the map.

G2 closed the series on Mirage, converting momentum from Inferno into a decisive performance in the third map to complete the 2-1 comeback and advance to the last eight in Cologne.

Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko led G2 across the match with a 63-44 kill-death line, an average damage per round of 88.6 and a Rating 3.0 of 1.54. Álvaro “SunPayus” García finished 50-43. Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač recorded 46 kills. For NAVI, Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy posted 52-46 with a 1.21 rating and Mihai “iM” Ivan also had 52 kills with a 1.00 rating.

The result eliminates Natus Vincere from the Cologne Major and marks their first failure to reach Major playoffs since the Shanghai Major. Earlier in Stage 3 at Cologne, NAVI lost 0-2 to Spirit, then posted wins over Legacy and The MongolZ before losing progression matches that prevented further advancement.

G2 will meet Spirit in the quarter-finals; Spirit have won all four meetings between the teams this year, with G2 taking one map across those encounters. The IEM Cologne Major continues as remaining teams prepare for the knockout rounds.