NaVi secure win over Eternal Fire to make it to the Semifinals of PGL Major Copenhagen

The second day of the playoffs at the PGL Major Copenhagen unfolded with an exhilarating clash between Natus Vincere and Eternal Fire in the third quarterfinals match.

Despite Eternal Fire's valiant efforts to withstand NaVi's onslaught, the Ukrainian powerhouse proved too formidable to overcome. Natus Vincere secured a decisive 2-0 series victory.

Natus Vincere 2-0 Eternal Fire

The match kicked off with NaVi’s pick of Mirage. Even though Eternal Fire managed to win the pistol and the next round, NaVi's T-side was too much for them to handle. NaVi had a dominant 9 round win streak, and ended the first half 9-3. However, Eternal Fire had a stellar T-side of their own. Against all odds, they took the lead and got to match point at 12-10. But NaVi managed to push the map into Overtime.

In Overtime, Eternal Fire failed to show up. NaVi won 4 out the 5 rounds played to secure the win at 16-13.

Moving onto Eternal Fire’s pick of Inferno, things were much more balanced. Neither team was allowed to build momentum, as the first half ended 6-6. However, NaVi had a much stronger T-side, winning four rounds right off the bat. And eventually closing out the map 13-9.

Post-Match Analysis

Even though it was a 2-0 win for NaVi, many rounds came extremely close to going the other way. In a post-match interview with James Banks, Justinas "jL" Lekavicius had a few words to say on this:

“It was too close, for sure. But it’s nice we got the win. And we know what we’re going to expect for the Semifinals.”

This is the second Major attended by jL, and he has managed to make top four in both Majors, albeit with different teams. When asked about his confidence about this NaVi roster in making it to the finals, he seemed quite confident.

“We’re here with a better roster, better players, better in-game leader. And we’re going to go to the finals. FOR SURE!!”

According to Richard Lewis, this is just the beginning of the emergence of Turkish Counter-Strike. Analyst Jacob "Pimp" Winneche, echoed this sentiment wholeheartedly. Winneche expressed his full agreement, emphasizing that Eternal Fire had nothing to be ashamed of.

In fact, Winneche highlighted the significance of their achievement, noting that they had made history as the first Turkish team ever to reach the playoffs of a Counter-Strike Major. Their remarkable campaign at the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 underscores the growing prowess and potential of Turkish Counter-Strike, signaling an exciting new era for the region in competitive gaming.

However, they had a lot of missed opportunities where they could have made the match a bit more competitive. There were mistakes which allowed NaVi to clutch out quite a few rounds that they need to fix in Inferno.

According to analyst Sudhen "Bleh" Wahengbam, Eternal Fire should keep their heads high. They managed to make a competitive game against a very in-form Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov who was “having the game of his life”.

w0nderful Inferno map performance against Eternal Fire in PGL Major Copenhagen
Image Source: PGL

“This was the most comprehensive and complete performance he’s had since joining NaVi. And it’s on the biggest stage.”
-Richard Lewis on w0nderful

Both analysts agree that even though Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen’s stats don’t show it, he played a very vital role as NaVi’s IGL in setting up rounds, controlling the pace of the game, and securing the victory for his team.

Natus Vincere move on to the Semifinals. Where they will face off against the winner of MOUZ vs G2 Esports.

Stay tuned to Strafe Esports for predictions and more information on the playoffs. And also, for further updates on the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.

You can also follow the official PGL Esports X (formerly Twitter) for more updates.

Featured Image Source: PGL

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