Natus Vincere have punched their ticket to the Esports World Cup playoffs following a hard-fought three-map victory over The MongolZ in the Group D upper bracket.
The action kicked off on Inferno, The MongolZ's map selection, where Garidmagnai "bLitz" Byambasuren's squad opened with a promising 3-0 start. However, once the gun rounds began, NAVI flipped the script entirely. The Ukrainian powerhouse dominated the defensive half, closing it out with an 8-4 advantage. After claiming the second pistol round, NAVI extended their lead to 5-1 before Drin "makazze" Shaqiri delivered a crucial quad-kill that sealed the map 13-5.
Ancient saw The MongolZ strike first again, this time on the CT side, racing to a 4-0 lead. NAVI fought back to close the gap, but Zolbayar "tikuak" Chimedtseren clutched a vital 1v1 to help his team maintain control and finish the half up by four rounds. The second half saw both teams trading blows, eventually knotting the score at 8-8. Just when it appeared NAVI might steal the map, Dugarsuren "DarkMeister" Ireedui came alive on the T-side with a massive performance, contributing a +7.58% swing and three multi-kills to push The MongolZ over the line 13-9.
The decisive third map, Mirage, started brilliantly for NAVI on the CT side with a pistol round win and a quick 6-1 lead. The MongolZ mounted an impressive comeback to level the score at halftime. NAVI then took control in the second half, winning both pistol rounds for the first time in the series and riding that momentum to a dominant 13-8 T-side finish.
The MongolZ now face paiN in the lower bracket semi-final for one last shot at reaching the Round of 16.
