G2 scrape win over Heretics to set up lower bracket final with Vitality in Road to Rio

G2 are through to the lower bracket final in ESL One: Road to Rio - Europe following a hard-fought victory in an all-French contest with Heretics.

The world No.6 left it late to come out on top of a scrappy French derby that had stunning comebacks on all three maps as both sides showed a lack of discipline in closing out games. With Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub having an off-day, G2 struggled to impose their will in this drawn-out match and had to recover from a 13-5 deficit on the final map after letting a commanding lead slip through their fingers on Dust2.

Heretics, who had already played three long maps before this match, showed signs of exhaustion towards the end of the series and were left to count the cost of a poor second-half performance. Their Cinderella story may be over, but no-one can take anything away from them, and they still have one match left as they will take on Ninjas in Pyjamas for the fifth place and an extra 100 RMR points.

G2 made a bright start to the game on Nuke and quickly began to put some rounds together with a tight and compact defense. Things were starting to look ugly for Heretics on their map pick as G2 hit double-digits, but then Lucas "⁠Lucky⁠" Chastang rallied his troops with a 1v3 clutch, with the half ending with the two teams only five rounds apart.

Nemanja "⁠nexa⁠" Isaković's side added to their lead after switching to the T side, bringing the scoreline to a 13-5 advantage, but Heretics tightened up once they had money in the bank and began to chip away at the deficit. They shut down any chances of their opponents stringing rounds together as they pushed for overtime, only to slip in the final stages of the game as G2 pulled away to win the map in the final round of regulation after nexa had put the team on map point with a 1v3 clutch.

Dust2 also witnessed a promising start full of impetus from G2, who raced to an 11-4 lead after a dominant T half and followed it up with the first two rounds of the second half. The game seemed to be a foregone conclusion at this point, but a 2v5 clutch from Heretics turned the tide of the game and marked the start of a brilliant comeback from the French underdogs.

As Heretics continued to grind out rounds, G2's players started to feel the pressure, and things only got worse when Fabien "⁠kioShiMa⁠" Fiey put his team on map point with a brilliant 1v4 clutch on the A site. G2 somehow managed to take the game to overtime with a scrappy retake, but their efforts would be in vain as Heretics ran out victorious to force a third map.

Heretics carried their momentum into Mirage, where they got out to a 7-0 lead with a near-flawless defense. Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač then came to G2's rescue with a series of opening frags to help the team to get a footing in the game before Heretics regained control of proceedings to end the half with a 10-5 lead, with Nabil "⁠Nivera⁠" Benrlitom boasting 18 kills to his name.

Now playing on the T side, Heretics picked up the first three rounds of the half, but then they suddenly ran out of steam, giving G2 a way back into the game. nexa's troops kept a very tight defense until the end and capitalized on every mistake made by their opponents to lock down the map in the 30th round and breathe a sigh of relief as they move to Friday's lower bracket final.