G2 Esports kept their tournament hopes alive by decisively defeating Natus Vincere in a 2-0 series at BLAST Open Porto, eliminating Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen's squad from the competition with wins on Ancient (13-6) and Inferno (13-10).
The victory sends G2 to the lower bracket final, where they'll face either Aurora or M80 for a coveted playoff berth.
Ancient saw G2 establish dominance early after an even opening. The European squad built a commanding 9-3 lead on their defensive half and captured the second-half pistol round. Though Natus Vincere delayed the outcome with a force-buy victory, Nikita "HeavyGod" Martynenko delivered a crucial 1vs3 clutch that gave G2 six match points, ultimately closing out a 13-6 win.
Inferno appeared destined for another lopsided result as G2 stormed to a 10-4 advantage following a powerful terrorist-side performance. However, Nemanja "huNter-" Kovač's team struggled to finish the job on their counter-terrorist side.
NATUS Vincere mounted an impressive comeback, clawing back to 10-11, but G2 regrouped when it mattered most, securing the final rounds for a 13-10 victory.
The defeat marks another disappointing chapter for Natus Vincere, who have now exited at the group stage in consecutive tournaments. "Just not good enough," Aleksib admitted in his post-match interview. "I could have done better on Ancient as well in certain situations. It's kinda obvious that we are lacking something in all of us. It's pretty rough because we really grinded for six weeks, and it feels so bad to go out like this in two tournaments."
With just over two weeks until their next appearance at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 beginning September 17, Aleksib acknowledged the challenge ahead. "It's up to us to dig ourselves out of this. We need to clear our minds and do something fresh."
