Will NiKo’s infamous deagle miss come back to haunt him in Copenhagen?

It's 2021. The world is gradually returning to normalcy after two tumultuous years, during which Covid-19 upended everything, including the realm of CS:GO. LAN events were canceled one after another. However, in November 2021, we finally witnessed a return to watching Counter-Strike as it should be. In Stockholm, the first Major in two years took place, with NAVI emerging as the clear favorites after a period of dominance, with Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev playing exceptionally well alongside the rookie Valerij "b1t" Vakhovsjkyj, who had impressed everyone in his Major debut.

NAVI breezed through the tournament flawlessly, not dropping a single map on their way to the Grand Final. G2 was also undefeated but was still considered the underdog in the final against Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev and his squad.

NAVI claimed victory on G2’s map pick of Ancient, positioning themselves for their first Major trophy on Nuke, a map where the team had performed incredibly well in the preceding months. However, G2 came out strong, with Audric "JACKZ" Jug delivering an outstanding CT half, leading G2 to a 10-5 advantage. After the break, it was Nikola “NiKo” Kovač’s turn to carry G2 to a win, securing a third map on Mirage to decide the Stockholm Major. At 15-13 in favor of G2, victory seemed imminent as they had planted the bomb and found themselves in a 3vs2 situation with Nikola “NiKo” Kovač perfectly positioned to eliminate Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev from the server. But then, chaos ensued.

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač’s Deagle shots missed, not once, not twice, but three times in a row, leaving perhaps the best Deagle player in the world floundering. "An absolute disaster," exclaimed caster Alex "Machine" Richardson to a stunned audience at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm, who watched NAVI clinch the Grand Final in overtime. Those three missed shots remain one of the most iconic moments in Counter-Strike history, alongside another missed opportunity for Nikola “NiKo” Kovač in 2018, when he and FaZe faltered against Cloud9, losing the Grand Final in Boston.

Tonight, G2 and NAVI face off in a Major playoff for the first time since that November night in Stockholm. Will Nikola “NiKo” Kovač exact his revenge?

Tonight's schedule from PGL Copenhagen Major: (CET)

17.00: Vitality - FaZe
20.00: Natus Vincere - G2