Vitality Eliminates NAVI to Advance to Playoffs

Vitality beat Natus Vincere at PGL Masters Bucharest, securing a 3-1 record and a place in the playoff picture. In the opening map on Inferno, Vitality beat their opponent 13-2 and shut down NAVI's game plan from start to finish.

The second map was played on Dust2. Vitality fell behind 3-9 in the first half but put together a flawless defensive performance after the break and won the map 13-9. The last ten rounds they won decided the outcome of the match.

Justinas "jL" Lekavicius played against his former team for the first time in this match and contributed to Vitality's win. The performances of Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut and William "mezii" Merriman were also decisive in Vitality's dominance.

For Natus Vincere, the picture was the opposite. Mihai "iM" Ivan failed to register a single kill on Inferno and finished with an ADR of 5.1. The team's attacking organization and individual decision-making were weak.

NAVI want to make the most of their third chance at the playoffs. However, their performance in this match clearly shows they need a serious improvement to reach their goal.