G2 Esports have won the IEM Cologne 2023 CS:GO tournament, defeating ENCE 3-1 in the Grand Final. The victory marks G2’s second IEM Cologne title, and their first since 2017.

G2 defeated ENCE 3-1 in the last game of the series. G2 jumped out to a 2-0 lead early on, winning on both Nuke (ENCE’s map pick) and Mirage (their own pick), lost a match on Anubis, but quickly rebounded, winning the series on Ancient.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ESL (@eslgaming)

Nuke was ENCE’s go-to choice, but G2 surprised everyone by outperforming him. Beginning on the CT side, G2 won 11 rounds, with Jks taking the top spot in the standings. The second half passed quickly as G2 overcame ENCE’s defence and took control of the map.

Mirage saw that ENCE made a great start on the CT-side, but G2 quickly gained ground. Fans were on edge as the sides traded rounds, with the half concluding 8-7 in ENCE’s favour. The second half saw G2 pick up steam, and they ultimately won the map 16-10.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ESL (@eslgaming)

ENCE put up a valiant fight on Anubis despite being eliminated. ENCE was able to win a couple early games despite G2 taking the pistol round. However, the offensive might of G2 was too overwhelming, and ENCE could only win 5 rounds in the opening period. ENCE won the match 16-13 despite G2’s late comeback attempt.

G2 jumped out to an early advantage on the last map, Ancient. ENCE tied the game at 9-9, but G2 responded and won 16-9 to claim their first IEM Cologne championship.

The victory is a major boost for G2, who have been struggling in recent months. The team had not won a major tournament since 2021, and they were in danger of falling out of the top 10 in the world rankings. However, the win in Cologne will give them a much-needed boost of confidence, and they will be hoping to build on this success in the coming months.

In addition to the title, G2 also won $400,000 of the $1 million prize pool. The team’s next tournament will be the BLAST Premier Fall Finals, which will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from September 15-18.

Overall, it was a thrilling Grand Final that was well-contested by both teams. G2’s victory is a major statement of intent from the team, and they will be hoping to build on this success in the coming months.

Related posts: