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In front of a roaring Cologne crowd, NAVI have booked their ticket to the semifinals of IEM Cologne 2025 after grinding out a 2-0 win over The MongolZ. It wasn’t an easy road, especially not on Inferno, but NAVI held strong when it mattered, setting up a spicy clash with Team Spirit.

Map 1 Inferno – NAVI’s Pick

The best-of-three kicked off with Inferno, a map that quickly turned into a rollercoaster. NAVI jumped ahead early but lost grip as The MongolZ stormed to a 10-4 lead. It looked like curtains, but Aleksib’s squad clawed their way back with grit and clutch plays, forcing overtime, and then two more. Eventually, NAVI locked in a 22-18 win.

Map 2 Ancient – The MongolZ’s Pick

Map two on Ancient told a different story. NAVI showed total dominance, winning 11 rounds on their CT side before winning 13 – 6. Following the punishing defeat on Inferno, the MongolZ appeared flat, and NAVI quickly took advantage of the situation.

NAVI’s Insane Newcomer

Newcomer Drin “makazze” Shaqiri, who made his LAN stage debut for NAVI, was a star in the series. After a rocky start, the youthful rifler quickly warmed up on the CT side and achieved an incredible 1.64 rating on Ancient. In the black and yellow shirt, it was a phenomenal moment.

 

With the victory, NAVI advances to the semifinals, but Team Spirit, one of the most popular teams in CS2 at the moment, stands in their path. Spirit has already defeated NAVI several times this season, and Aleksib and company will have their hands full with players like donk playing at their best.

But this is Cologne, and NAVI are beginning to peak at just the right time. The makazze gamble is paying off, the system is clicking, and the crowd is firmly in their corner. If they can take down Spirit, they won’t just be finalists, they’ll be genuine title contenders.