G2 survive elimination match against Falcons

HooXi's troops are one victory away from the Pro League playoffs.

G2 are through to Group B's fourth-place decider at ESL Pro League Season 19 following a 2-1 victory over Falcons. Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen's troops let two map points go to waste on Vertigo, but they responded with dominant victories on Anubis and Nuke, powered by key performances from Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač (who set a new personal best rating in CS2) and Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov.

It was a disappointing ending to Falcons' journey in Malta. They were never really in the game in the last two maps and lacked individual brilliance, with Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer the only player on the team who managed to post above-average ratings.

"We showed today that we need to make plays and play off each other, dare to take risks, and not be afraid of losing," Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen said after the match. "I think that's maybe the key. I don't think we deserved to go to the playoffs. Of course, I'm disappointed, but I don't think we showed the level to go to the playoffs. I think other teams deserved it more than us."

Date	Matches
ESL Pro League Season 19
24/04/2024	Falcons Finished 1:2 The MongolZ	Match
25/04/2024	TYLOO Finished 1:2 Falcons	Match
26/04/2024	Falcons Finished 0:2 BetBoom	Match
27/04/2024	Falcons Finished 1:2 G2	Match

Falcons got off to a dream start on Vertigo, cruising to a 7-0 lead on the T side off the back of some stellar fragging from Pavle "⁠Maden⁠" Bošković, who racked up 13 kills during this initial period. G2 then finally stabilized and got the deficit down to a manageable four rounds before the side switch.

With m0NESY back to his best after a quiet showing on Friday, G2 went on a dominant 7-1 run to get their T side started and eventually hit map point at 12-10, but they were unable to close it out. Falcons wore down their opponents in a battle of attrition as the game went to overtime, and then kept up the pace after regulation to walk away with the win.

G2 came out on Anubis looking a different side and grabbed control of the game from the early exchanges, taking the fight to their opponents on multiple occasions. They ended their CT side with a commanding 11-1 lead and put the game to bed shortly afterward thanks to 1v2 clutches from Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač and Nemanja "⁠nexa⁠" Isaković.

The series came down to Nuke, where G2 picked up a 7-5 lead after a strong CT showing that saw them steal the second round with little more than pistols. The game became a one-way street in the second half as G2 won six rounds without response to lock down the series.