{"id":398641,"date":"2026-06-19T19:20:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T19:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.skin.club\/?p=398641"},"modified":"2026-06-19T19:20:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T19:20:45","slug":"spirit-vs-g2-iem-cologne-major-2026-quarterfinal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.skin.club\/en\/news\/spirit-vs-g2-iem-cologne-major-2026-quarterfinal","title":{"rendered":"Spirit eliminate G2 and advance to IEM Cologne Major 2026 semifinals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Team Spirit secured a place in the semifinals of IEM Cologne Major 2026 after defeating G2 2-1 in an entertaining quarterfinal series. Despite losing their own map pick, the world No.1 team completed the comeback on Mirage and continued their impressive winning streak, while G2 saw their tournament run come to an end.<\/p>\n

Road to the semifinals<\/h3>\n

Spirit continued their dominant run in Cologne. The team opened Stage 3 with victories over NAVI and Aurora after win Bet Boom an finish\u00a0 in the 3-0 pool to secure a playoff berth. In the quarterfinals, they survived a tough challenge from G2 and moved one step closer to another Major title.<\/p>\n

G2, meanwhile, recovered from a 1-2 record in Stage 3 by eliminating NAVI and Legacy to reach the playoffs. However, their campaign came to an end in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n\n

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read more<\/p>\n

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\n PARIVISION Bench nota and Sign Rising Prospect slaxejezzz<\/a>\n \n
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G2 strike first on Overpass<\/h3>\n
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Photo Copyright by ESL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The series began on Overpass, G2\u2019s map choice, and the European squad made the most of it. Strong T-side rounds and a solid defensive half allowed huNter- and company to secure a 13-9 victory and take an early lead in the series. With elimination looming, Spirit needed a response on Dust2.<\/p>\n

Spirit answer back on Dust2<\/h3>\n

The Russian side quickly regained control on their own pick. donk once again led the way, while zont1x provided crucial support as Spirit dominated key rounds and closed out Dust2 16-14 after overtime. The victory forced a decider on Mirage and shifted the momentum firmly in Spirit\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n

Spirit survive triple overtime thriller<\/h3>\n
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Player statistics for the match \/\/ taken from HLTV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The final map delivered one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament. Neither team managed to pull away during regulation, which ended 12-12 before the series entered overtime. After three overtime periods, Spirit finally broke G2\u2019s resistance and secured a hard-fought 25-22 victory to close the series 2-1.<\/p>\n

donk leads Spirit once again<\/h3>\n
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Photo Copyright by PGL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Danil \u201cdonk\u201d Kryshkovets was the standout player of the match. The superstar rifler finished the series with 81 kills and a 1.32 rating, once again proving why he remains one of the favorites for the tournament MVP award.<\/p>\n

Team reactions<\/h3>\n