Liquid beat FlyQuest on IEM Cologne 2025 Stage 1 Lower Bracket

Liquid overcame FlyQuest in a hard-fought 2–1 series to stay alive at IEM Cologne 2025 and advance to Stage 2. After trading dominant map wins on Nuke and Dust2, the North American side secured the decider on Ancient with a 13:9 finish. Twistzz led the scoreboard with 48 kills across three maps, while NAF earned MVP honors with a 95.9 ADR and 1.21 rating.

FlyQuest picked Nuke but quickly fell behind as Liquid stormed to a 10:2 T-side half. Despite a short resurgence, FlyQuest couldn’t close the gap. Twistzz pulled off a sharp 1v2 clutch in Round 15, and NertZ sealed the deal with strong site holds. regali had the highest impact for FlyQuest, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a one-sided opener.

Liquid’s pick of Dust2 backfired as FlyQuest dominated the first half with an 11:1 CT side. regali starred with a 4-kill round using a Scout on A site, and INS clutched a key 1v2 early on. Liquid couldn’t recover after the side switch, and FlyQuest equalized the series in just 16 rounds.

The final map was much closer. Liquid edged the first half 8:4 and maintained control through key mid-rounds. NertZ delivered a full ACE in Round 13, while siuhy and ultimate supported with consistent site defense. jks and Vexite tried to force a comeback, but Liquid closed the map out cleanly to take the series.

With this win, Liquid qualify for Stage 2 (Group Stage) and will face MOUZ in their opening Group B match. FlyQuest are eliminated from the tournament. Earlier in Stage 1, Liquid defeated FaZe 2–1 and bounced back here to stay in contention.

IEM Cologne 2025 is held in Cologne, Germany, featuring a $1,000,000 prize pool. Stage 1 runs from July 22–25, followed by the Group Stage (July 26–30) and Playoffs (August 1–4). The top prize is $400,000, with $180,000 for second and $80,000 for third place.