G2 outlast Virtus.pro to set up Vitality semi-final

Two masterful offensive halves helped the European combine defeat Virtus.pro.

G2 have eliminated Virtus.pro from Gamers8, beating the Russian combine in a three-map affair. The Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali-led squad drew first blood on Mirage (16-11) before G2 evened up the scores with a near-flawless offense on Inferno (16-9). The decider was Vertigo, where Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač and company put together another 11-2 offensive half on their way to a 16-12 victory.

Vitality now stands before G2 and another grand final appearance. The semi-final is set to be played on Saturday at 20:00 , and the IEM Cologne champions will hope to continue their good recent form.

Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen gave an interview after the match, admitting that Vitality will be a tough opponent. "They have been looking good and winning with ZywOo playing an average game, which is always scary because you know other people are also on point."

Date	Matches
Gamers8 2023
19/08/2023	Vitality 20:10 G2	Match

Virtus.pro gave another top-five team in the world a run for their money after eliminating FaZe yesterday. They showed many good signs in the series against G2, especially given the fact they are playing with transfer-listed Aleksei "⁠Qikert⁠" Golubev, but their CT sides on Inferno and Vertigo cost them in the end.

The series started on Mirage, where Virtus.pro dominated proceedings on their defense after a back-and-forth first half. A pistol execute on the A site was one of only two rounds G2 were able to post in the second interval, however, as the Virtus.pro defense proved far too strong for them in the end.

Next up was Inferno, the pick of G2. Their CT side was far from ideal, but their offense proved why they picked the map. Domination from start to finish limited Virtus.pro to just one round, as HooXi entered flow state and outmaneuvered Jame, his opposing IGL.

G2 also struggled in the opening half of the deciding Vertigo, posting just five rounds at the switch. A pistol-round victory gave them some much-needed confidence, and they tied up the scores at ten soon enough before Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač came up clutch in the dying moments with two crucial triple kills. The Bosnian rifler had a quiet game until then but made sure his contribution was felt, as G2 secured the semi-final spot off the back of his heroic moments.