Spirit has begun their IEM Cologne 2025 journey with their new roster, securing a solid 2-0 win against HEROIC at IEM Cologne 2025 where the Russian squad showed its power.
HEROIC tried to be aggressive on ANCIENT, while Spirit’s ability to get two crucial eco rounds. Donk and sh1ro were the ones leading the team, pumping up major kills and keeping Spirit ahead despite a tough defense from HEROIC. The game went into overtime after a clutch multi-kill by Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia, but Spirit ultimately punished HEROIC’s aggressive CT tactics to clinch the map 16-14.
sh1ro dominated NUKE with his AWPing prowess, as he ran rampant across both halves. HEROIC tried to stage a comeback with a 5v3 advantage early in the second half, but a great 4K from zont1x and a Spirit half-buy round crushed their hopes. Spirit took the map 13-8, sealing the series 2-0.
For Spirit’s new addition, Ivan “zweih” Gogin, the debut was mixed. He held well in his CT anchor role but struggled with the Terrorist side extremities, often supporting Donk’s fights in the Middle on Ancient. It’s early days, but a winning start is always a good sign.
With this win, Spirit advances to face Aurora in the upper bracket. HEROIC drops to the lower bracket, where they’ll clash with Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Match Summary
| Map | Score |
|---|---|
| Ancient | 16-14 (OT) Spirit |
| Nuke | 13-8 Spirit |
Key Player Stats
| Player | K-D | ADR | Rating 2.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov (Spirit) | 60-30 | 97.7 | 1.55 |
| Danil “donk” Kryshkovets (Spirit) | 46-36 | 98.0 | 1.35 |
| Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia (Spirit) | 34-33 | 92.3 | 1.16 |
| Ivan “zweih” Gogin (Spirit) | 31-35 | 67.4 | 0.97 |
| Simon “yxngstxr” Boije (HEROIC) | 37-38 | 73.6 | 1.05 |
Spirit’s victory was powered by the duo of donk and sh1ro, who delivered consistent firepower and clutch plays throughout. HEROIC’s aggressive defense kept them in fights, but crucial moments slipped away, notably zont1x’s multi-kill on Ancient and sh1ro’s AWP dominance on Nuke.
Looking ahead, Spirit’s next match against Aurora will be a test of whether they can keep this momentum rolling. Meanwhile, HEROIC faces a do-or-die scenario versus Ninjas in Pyjamas in the lower bracket. If you’re hungry for more CS2 action, keep an eye on these matchups.
