Natus Vincere have stamped their ticket to the quarter-finals of IEM Cologne 2025 after a dominant series against FaZe. The victory not only advances NAVI but also marks a milestone for their young star, Drin “makazze” Shaqiri, who is making his debut at the LANXESS arena with the main roster.
The series saw NAVI take control early on Ancient, dismantling FaZe’s strategies with a commanding 13-4 win. Their defense was relentless, breaking FaZe’s attempts to regain map control and capitalizing on force-buy rounds, especially with the help of Mihai “iM” Ivan, who delivered crucial kills that kept FaZe on the back foot.
Inferno proved to be more competitive. FaZe fought back from a shaky start and even managed a near-comeback with a miraculous 3v5 round. However, NAVI’s resilience shone through, with iM once again making the difference by shutting down FaZe’s advances on the B site. The final score of 13-10 sealed the series 2-0 in NAVI’s favor.
For makazze, the emotions were palpable after the win. In a post-match interview with Tres “stunna” Saranthus, the 18-year-old Kosovar admitted, “To be honest I’m shaking a little bit because of emotions.” This victory is a big step for him in the competitive scene, showing he can perform under pressure at high-stakes events.
FaZe’s performance was uneven. Their star rifler, Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski, struggled on Ancient, ending with a dismal 3-16 kill-death ratio and a 0.28 rating, the worst since joining FaZe earlier this year. He bounced back somewhat on Inferno, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide for his team.
Despite FaZe’s early pistol wins, NAVI’s tactical defense and aggressive plays, especially from players like b1t and makazze, dismantled their opponent’s rhythm. The map control and disruption of FaZe’s default setups were key factors in NAVI’s success.
Upcoming Match
NAVI will face The MongolZ on August 1st at 19:00 in what promises to be a tough quarter-final clash. This match could be a real test of NAVI’s momentum and makazze’s continued impact.
Match Summary
| Map | Score |
|---|---|
| Ancient | NAVI 13 – 4 FaZe |
| Inferno | NAVI 13 – 10 FaZe |
Player Highlights
- iM (NAVI): 39-20 K-D, 1.68 rating, key force-buy impact.
- b1t (NAVI): 34-21 K-D, 1.46 rating, crucial defense on B site.
- makazze (NAVI): 26-21 K-D, 1.34 rating, solid debut performance.
- EliGE (FaZe): Struggled on Ancient with 3-16 K-D and 0.28 rating.
- karrigan (FaZe): 18-32 K-D, 0.67 rating, unable to lead comeback.
FaZe’s hopes for a third map were dashed as NAVI controlled the series with strategic depth and consistent execution. The young makazze looks like a fresh spark for NAVI, and I wonder if this will be the start of a new era for them at LANXESS.
What’s next for FaZe? Will they regroup and come back stronger, or is this the beginning of a rough patch? NAVI, in contrast, seem poised to make a deep run.
Watch the key moments from the match below:
Feel free to speak for yourself on NAVI’s performance and Makazze’s debut in the comments below. Did NAVI’s strategy catch FaZe off guard, or was it just a bad day for FaZe?
