{"id":395992,"date":"2026-06-04T19:25:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.skin.club\/?p=395992"},"modified":"2026-06-04T19:25:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:25:54","slug":"liquid-eliminate-heroic-stay-alive-cologne-major-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.skin.club\/en\/news\/liquid-eliminate-heroic-stay-alive-cologne-major-2026","title":{"rendered":"Liquid eliminate HEROIC from IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Team Liquid kept their IEM Cologne Major 2026 campaign alive with a convincing 2-0 victory over HEROIC in the 1-2 pool. The North American squad controlled the series on both maps and secured a place in the decisive 2-2 bracket, while HEROIC became one of the biggest names to leave the tournament in Stage 1. Despite entering the elimination match after difficult starts to the Major, Liquid looked composed throughout the series. Mario \u201cmalbsMd\u201d Samayoa delivered one of his best performances of the event, helping his team overcome the Danish side and avoid an early exit.<\/p>\n

Teams\u2019 road at the Major<\/h3>\n
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Photo Copyright by ESL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Liquid opened their IEM Cologne Major 2026 campaign with a 13-10 victory over BIG on Nuke. The North Americans then suffered back-to-back losses to MIBR and BetBoom, dropping into the 1-2 pool. Facing elimination, Liquid responded with consecutive victories over and HEROIC to secure a place in the decisive 2-2 bracket and keep their hopes of reaching Stage 2 alive.<\/p>\n

HEROIC started the Major with a narrow 10-13 defeat to Sharks before recovering with a 2-0 win over Gaimin Gladiators. However, the European side failed to build momentum, losing to Lynn Vision in the 0-1 pool and then falling 1-2 to Liquid in the elimination match. As a result, HEROIC finished their campaign with a 1-3 record and exited the Major in Stage 1.<\/p>\n\n

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read more<\/p>\n

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\n IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1 \u2013 Day 3. Schedule, Live Broadcast & Results<\/a>\n \n
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Jun 04<\/div>\n News<\/a> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Liquid dominate both maps<\/h3>\n
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Player statistics for the match \/\/ taken from HLTV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

HEROIC chose Nuke, but Liquid immediately took control and secured a comfortable 13-5 victory. Keith \u201cNAF\u201d Markovic and Jonathan \u201cEliGE\u201d Jablonowski consistently found opening kills, while malbsMd finished the map as the team\u2019s most impactful player.<\/p>\n

Inferno, Liquid\u2019s own pick, proved more competitive. HEROIC showed more resistance and managed to reach double digits, but Liquid remained in control during the key rounds and closed the map 13-11 to finish the series without allowing a decider.<\/p>\n

malbsMd leads Liquid to survival<\/h3>\n