Gambit eliminate NAVI from IEM Katowice

Dmitry "⁠sh1ro⁠" Sokolov's team dealt the favorites a humbling defeat in the CIS matchup.

In the first playoff match of IEM Katowice 2021, Gambit managed to upset Natus Vincere, taking down the CIS powerhouse 2-0. Last year's champions are therefore out of the race for this year' trophy, while Gambit have set up a semi-final bout against Spirit.

The quarter-final game saw Gambit fight back from an early 6-2 deficit on Overpass and take their map pick 16-12, before rolling over Natus Vincere on Train, 16-6. Star AWPer sh1ro again showed up for his team, topping the scoreboard with a 1.45 rating for the series, followed by Vladislav "⁠nafany⁠" Gorshkov's 1.22.

A second-round force-buy win for Natus Vincere set Kirill "⁠Boombl4⁠" Mikhailov's team on the right path on the CT side of Overpass, seeing them take a 6-2 lead on their opponents pick. Then, Gambit found success with B hits, which together with sh1ro's clutches got them back into the game, taking an 8-7 lead before the end of the T-side.

The second pistol went the way of Natus Vincere, which together with the anti-eco conversions, saw them reclaim the advantage. But Gambit stepped up in the rifle rounds, and after the score was equalized at 12-12, took the lead with a couple of key rounds. First, their B push worked out perfectly, then Timofey "⁠interz⁠" Yakushin pulled off a 1v1 clutch, and finally, the map was concluded in Gambit's favor with a 3v4 retake on A.

Gambit brought over their momentum to Train by winning the force in round 2, which allowed them to build a strong lead early into their CT side. In rifle rounds, nafany's team took control of A Main time after time and dealt with the B hits from Natus Vincere well, finishing the half 11-4 ahead.

After the switch, force-buys again found success, with Gambit finishing on top this time around. Natus Vincere could never get their economy going after that, which made Gambit's job of closing out the game, 16-6, a simple task.