Spirit has added another trophy to their cabinet by sweeping MOUZ 3-0 in the IEM Cologne 2025 grand final. This victory completes a rare trifecta for Spirit, who have now won IEM Cologne, IEM Katowice, and a Major.
The Russian squad showed no mercy, comfortably taking two of MOUZ’s map picks, Mirage and Nuke, while mounting a strong CT-side comeback on Ancient. MOUZ struggled particularly on their Terrorist side, managing only two gun rounds across the series and showing a worrying trend with a T-side win rate under 42% in recent months.
Leading the charge was Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, who was crucial as always, but the entire Spirit lineup contributed significant moments and multi-kills. Notably, this was Spirit’s first title with 17-year-old Ivan “zweih” Gogin on the roster. Although he had his ups and downs, he closed the series with a clutch 1v1 to seal the championship, a moment that could boost his confidence going forward.
The series began rough for MOUZ, who fell behind 2-10 on Mirage’s Terrorist side. They managed to snag the pistol and convert rounds on their CT side, but crucial opportunities to pressure Spirit’s economy slipped through their fingers. Donk’s aggressive plays, including a clean 4K through Connector, and chopper’s sneaky window play, sealed Mirage for Spirit.
MOUZ’s Ancient map started sluggishly, but captain Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin sparked a comeback with aggressive multi-kills that pushed Spirit back. Despite this, Spirit rallied with a series of eight defensive rounds, powered by donk and sh1ro, overturning an 11-5 deficit.
Brollan 4K helps MOUZ take hold of Ancient
On Nuke, MOUZ started strong with a 3-0 lead but faltered in mid-late round executions. Spirit capitalized repeatedly, maintaining an 8-4 half-time lead and closing out the map with confident gun rounds. Zweih’s clutch sealed the trophy for Spirit.
zweih’s 1v1 clutch wins IEM Cologne for Spirit
Spirit’s dominance in this final has cemented their place among the top CS:GO teams. Donk was named player of the week with an impressive 1.53 rating and the highest damage per round at 105.2. The team now sits 4th in the global rankings, with MOUZ just behind at 2nd.
Was this the most interesting final? Maybe not, as some fans found the matches a bit one-sided. But Spirit’s consistency and firepower left little room for doubt. MOUZ will need to rethink their T-side strategies if they want to challenge for titles in the future.
Here are some more highlights to check out:
- Spirit win unlikely 2v4 retake
- donk 1v2 ties the score on Ancient
- chopper clutches wild pistol round and waves to crowd
- torzsi collateral helps him to 3K
For full stats and match details, visit the match page at hltv.org.
Can Spirit keep this momentum going, or will another team rise to challenge their dominance, and what will MOUZ do to fix their glaring issues? Only time will tell.
