G2 battled past Spirit in a thrilling three-map series, clinching their spot at the Perfect World Shanghai Major. The deciding map on Nuke went into overtime, with G2 eventually prevailing. Meanwhile, Spirit, now sitting at a 2-2 record in the European RMR, will need to fight for their Major qualification in the final day of play.
The match began on Spirit’s pick of Ancient. Despite Spirit’s potential to dominate on the offensive side, they struggled to capitalize on opportunities and ended the half tied at 6-6. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, usually a standout player, had a subdued showing, with his only major impact being a pivotal quad-kill that brought Spirit closer at 11-9. However, G2 immediately countered, shutting down Spirit’s momentum and cruising through their T side to close the map 13-9.
Mirage, a familiar battleground between these two teams, followed. G2 had won every Mirage matchup against Spirit in 2024, leading many to expect a quick series. Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov, however, had other plans, dominating the early rounds with an unbroken 15-0 streak on the CT side. Spirit capitalized on this performance, taking Mirage 13-5. G2’s streak against Spirit seemed unbreakable when they reached match point at 12-8, but a series of missteps allowed Spirit to mount a comeback, forcing G2 into a nail-biting decider.
On Nuke, G2 once again faced a challenge from Spirit. Nikola “NiKo” Kovač consistently outperformed donk in their head-to-head duels, winning 10 out of 14 clashes during the map. However, it was Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa who stepped up in the crucial moments, securing a 1v2 clutch in the 29th round to tip the scales in G2’s favor. The map concluded with a tight 16-14 win for G2, securing their ticket to Shanghai.
This victory extends G2’s undefeated record against Spirit in 2024 to 6-0. For malbsMd, the triumph is particularly significant, as it marks his first Major appearance and the introduction of his sticker in the game.
