Spirit beat HEROIC in IEM Cologne 2025 Group B Upper Bracket Quarter-Final

Spirit secured a 2-0 victory over HEROIC in the Group B upper bracket quarter-final of IEM Cologne 2025. Led by sh1ro’s MVP performance (60-30 K/D, 1.55 rating), Spirit claimed Ancient 16-14 and Nuke 13-8, moving on to face Aurora in the semi-final. HEROIC drops to the lower bracket, where they will play Ninjas in Pyjamas to stay in the tournament.

Map 1 – Ancient (16:14 Spirit)

HEROIC’s pick turned into a close battle. Spirit led 8-4 at halftime, but HEROIC fought back to tie the score before sh1ro’s critical 4 AWP kills on B defense and zont1x’s late-round trades secured the map. yxngstxr’s 1v2 clutch kept HEROIC in contention, but Spirit’s T-side conversions closed the game.

Map 2 – Nuke (13:8 Spirit)

Spirit’s own pick was more decisive. An early 8-4 CT-side half gave them control, and zont1x’s 4-kill MP9 defense on A shut down HEROIC’s late push. sh1ro added a 1v2 clutch on the T-side, while donk’s consistent entry fragging secured the series.

Spirit advances to play Aurora in the Group B upper bracket semi-final. HEROIC drops to the lower bracket and faces Ninjas in Pyjamas in an elimination match.

IEM Cologne 2025 is held in Cologne, Germany, featuring a $1,000,000 prize pool. The event runs from July 25 to August 4 with Group Stages (July 25–30) leading into the playoffs at LANXESS Arena. The top three prizes are $400,000 for 1st, $180,000 for 2nd, and $80,000 for 3rd–4th.