Team Spirit have secured their spot in the IEM Cologne 2025 Grand Final after a hard-fought 2:1 victory over NAVI in the semifinals. The match was intense — each map had its own drama, but once again it was donk who played a decisive role, delivering an ACE, racking up 58 kills, and leading his team to victory. NAVI, on the other hand, finish their tournament run in the top 4 — the team showed resilience but couldn’t overcome one of the tournament’s top contenders.
Road to the Semifinal
Team Spirit confidently advanced to the semifinals of IEM Cologne, claiming victories over HEROIC, Aurora, and MOUZ. The key to their success was undoubtedly donk, who once again showcased his exceptional individual form.
NAVI, meanwhile, also had a strong run: they started with a win over FaZe, then lost to MOUZ, but bounced back by defeating NiP, The MongolZ, and FaZe once more to reach the semifinals.
Final for Spirit, Exit for NAVI
The match began on Mirage — NAVI’s map pick. The Ukrainian squad took the first half 7:5, but in the second half, Spirit seized the initiative. An ACE from donk helped secure a close 13:11 win on the first map.
On Spirit’s map pick, NAVI came out swinging, winning seven rounds in a row and closing the half 10:2. After the side switch, Spirit managed to close the gap to 12:9 and were close to forcing overtime, but NAVI held on to take the map 13:9.
The decider on Ancient was a one-sided affair. Spirit dominated from the start, stringing together 10 consecutive rounds. After such a landslide, it was difficult for NAVI to mount a comeback — final score: 13:6.
Player of the Match
Unsurprisingly, the best player of the match was Danil “donk” Kryshkovets. He consistently delivered impact plays, clutch rounds, and a highlight ACE. He finished the match with 58 kills, an ADR of 101, and a 1.42 rating. donk is now among the top candidates for the MVP award of IEM Cologne 2025.
Spirit in the Grand Final
Thanks to this victory, Team Spirit will play in the grand final tomorrow against the winner of MOUZ vs Vitality. As for NAVI, they end their tournament journey in 3–4th place, earning $80,000 in prize money and an additional $28,000 for the organization. NAVI’s newest player, makazze, wrapped up his debut at a big event with a 1.06 rating — a notable achievement considering the limited time for practice and team integration.
