Team Liquid PH took another measured step toward the M7 World Championships knockout stage, leaning on composure and late-game clarity to dispatch Team Falcons and move within one victory of advancing in Indonesia.
Fresh off an opening-day win against fellow Filipinos Aurora Gaming, the MPL Philippines Season 16 champions showed why they remain one of the tournament’s most feared squads. The match was far from a blowout. Falcons tested Liquid early, scrapping hard for objectives and briefly turning the tempo in their favor, but the Filipinos never lost their bearings.
At the heart of Liquid’s control was Alston “Sanji” Pabico, whose steady presence in the midlane set the tone. His Pharsa dictated spacing in team fights, enabling Liquid to absorb pressure and strike back at the right moments. Falcons even grabbed the first Turtle and punished an overextension to momentarily seize momentum, threatening to flip the script.
That window didn’t stay open long.
As the game edged past the 10-minute mark, Kiel “Oheb” Soriano delivered the stabilizer. Timing his Blazing Duet perfectly, the Liquid gold laner erased two Falcons in one sweep and swung control back to the Filipinos, with the Lord pushing ominously down the bottom lane. From there, Liquid’s championship habits took over.
Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno sealed the outcome in clinical fashion. The jungler’s decisive double kill, followed by a clean Lord secure, slammed the door on any comeback hopes and underlined why Liquid PH remain one of the most disciplined late-game teams in the field.
The victory lifted Team Liquid PH to a 2-0 record in the Swiss Stage, setting up a high-stakes clash against Sengalor Red Giants with a knockout berth on the line. A win there would make Liquid one of the first teams to punch a ticket to the next round.
For Aurora Gaming, the path is less direct. The Filipino side drops into the middle matches of Round 3, where survival — and momentum — will have to be earned the hard way.
For now, though, Liquid PH are exactly where champions expect to be: calm under fire, ruthless when it matters, and one win away from the M7 knockouts.