Spirit eliminated Natus Vincere in IEM Cologne 2025 Semi-final

Spirit claimed a 2-1 win over Natus Vincere in the IEM Cologne 2025 Semi-final. Spirit secured Mirage 13:11, dropping Nuke 9:13, and closed out Ancient 13:6. The series was played in a best-of-three format on LAN. Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets was the clear MVP of the match, putting up a 1.42 rating and 101 ADR across all maps. sh1ro also posted a solid 1.19 rating with 54 frags. With the win, Spirit moves on to the Grand Final, while NaVi are eliminated in the top four.

Map 1 – Mirage (13:11 Spirit)

NaVi picked Mirage and started strong with a 7:5 T-side half. But Spirit adapted well on their defense, winning eight rounds in the second half to edge out the win. A highlight came in Round 17, where donk, down to 10 HP, pulled off a triple kill to hold the A site in a 2v3. He ended the map with 22 kills, supported by sh1ro’s key AWP rounds. NaVi’s b1t tried to keep his side in the game with sharp entries, finishing with a +2 K/D.

Map 2 – Nuke (13:9 Natus Vincere)

Spirit picked Nuke but struggled on their T side, only managing two rounds in the first half. NaVi capitalized on their CT setups, led by makazze and w0nderful, who delivered multi-kills and site anchors. Despite a 7:3 rally from Spirit in the second half, NaVi closed it out 13:9. makazze had the highest ADR for NaVi on the map, with w0nderful contributing crucial AWP impact in late rounds.

Map 3 – Ancient (13:6 Spirit)

Ancient was left as the decider, and Spirit took full control early with a 10:2 CT-side half. donk was dominant again, finishing the map with 21 kills and a 1.69 impact rating. Spirit’s aggressive banana and mid setups paid off, while NaVi couldn’t recover on their T side. Despite efforts from b1t, who led NaVi with 49 kills across the series, Spirit held their ground and closed the series with a 13:6 win.

With this victory, Spirit moves on to the Grand Final, where they’ll face the winner of Vitality vs MOUZ. Natus Vincere ended their run in the top four of IEM Cologne 2025. Both semifinal matchups delivered competitive series as the tournament nears its final day.

IEM Cologne 2025 is taking place in Cologne, Germany, featuring three stages: Stage 1 (July 26–28), Stage 2 (July 29–31), and the Playoffs (August 1–4). The event has a $1,000,000 prize pool, with $400,000 awarded to the champion, $180,000 for second place, and $80,000 for each semi-finalist.