Team Spirit continue to show why they’re being called the main contender for the title: in the Group B upper bracket quarter-final of IEM Cologne 2025, they defeated HEROIC with a 2-0 scoreline. The series wasn’t without tension – especially on Ancient, which went to overtime – but the overall result leaves no doubt: Spirit controlled the key moments and looked confident throughout.
Match flow: Ancient kept the intrigue, Nuke left no chance
Ancient (16:14 Spirit)
HEROIC picked Ancient, hoping to surprise their opponents, and started off fairly well. The first half ended close (8:4), but Spirit quickly seized control after the side switch. donk and sh1ro shut down any comfort for HEROIC’s strategies, though HEROIC managed to force the game into overtime. There, Spirit’s experience and sh1ro’s individual brilliance sealed the deal – 16:14.
Nuke (13:8 Spirit)
On Nuke, things were far more straightforward. Spirit set the pace immediately, winning the opening rounds and steadily increasing their lead. HEROIC tried to spark some life into the game with a few bright moments from tN1R and yxngstxr, but Spirit kept the map under control from start to finish, closing it 13:8 and taking the series cleanly, 2-0.
Player stats
Spirit: a machine at full speed
Spirit entered this match off an important win over NAVI, and even despite a recent loss to MOUZ, they looked in great shape. Today they once again proved why they remain one of the strongest rosters in the world.
- Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov (60–30, 1.55 rating) – the absolute monster of the series. His AWP was flawless, and his string of clutches on Ancient stole HEROIC’s chance for a comeback.
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets (46–36, 1.35 rating) – raw power and aggression that ripped through HEROIC’s defenses.
- zont1x and zweih consistently locked down their roles, creating space for the stars, while chopper focused more on steering the game than the scoreboard.
HEROIC: solid effort, but too many mistakes
HEROIC came into this match with confidence after wins over Virtus.pro and MIBR, but today’s opponent was simply another level. They fought on Ancient and had a few chances to tilt the game their way, but a lack of discipline and individual mistakes proved fatal.
- Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich (41–38, 1.15 rating) was HEROIC’s most consistent performer, winning key duels.
- Simon “yxngstxr” Boije (37–38, 1.05 rating) supported well but couldn’t swing rounds alone.
- Others, especially LNZ and nilo, failed to deliver the needed impact – their stats speak for themselves.
Player of the Match
Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov earned a staggering 88% of fan votes and was the undisputed MVP of the series. His 60–30 K/D, 1.55 rating, and 97.7 ADR were nothing short of phenomenal.
On Ancient, he pulled off insane clutches and repeatedly shut down HEROIC’s attacks, while on Nuke, he practically locked down half the map with his AWP. This was sh1ro at his absolute peak – ice-cold, razor-sharp, and able to dictate the outcome of the match almost single-handedly. His performance was the spark that powered Spirit’s win and the nightmare HEROIC couldn’t overcome.
What’s next?
Spirit advance to the upper bracket semi-finals of IEM Cologne 2025, cementing their status as one of the tournament favorites. Their game looks balanced, and their stars are in red-hot form.
HEROIC now face the long road through the lower bracket, where any mistake could be fatal. They showed flashes of resistance today, but against this version of Spirit, it simply wasn’t enough.
