IEM Cologne 2025 Stage 1Impressive xKacpersky debut gives NIP win over HEROIC in Cologne
The Polish rifler put up a 1.16 rating in his first match with NIP.
Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated HEROIC on their debut with Kacper "xKacpersky" Gabara in the IEM Cologne Stage 1 opener (Nuke 10-13, Overpass 13-9, Ancient 13-9), with the Polish rifler topping the charts for the European side.
Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer's men now move on to face 3DMAX for a Stage 2 spot, while HEROIC are set to battle MIBR for elimination.
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| IEM Cologne 2025 Stage 1 | ||
| 24/07/2025 |
17:00
|
Match |
| 24/07/2025 |
19:45
|
Match |
Nuke began as a sloppy high-octane affair, where HEROIC eventually wrestled back control to close out a 7-5 half. Linus "nilo" Bergman then extended their advantage with a 1vs2 in the pistol that meant the scoreline stood at 10-5, but Artem "r1nkle" Moroz's impactful AWPing let Ninjas in Pyjamas back into the game.
In the end, it took two half-buy wins and a 2vs4 post-plant conversion for HEROIC to take a hard-fought 13-10 win.
HEROIC went for the Overpass pick, but their gamble failed to pay off thanks to Snappi leading by example. His aggressive T-side calling never let HEROIC catch a breath, and the veteran also contributed in the fragging department to finish the map on a 1.17 rating and lead his team to a 13-9 win.
That meant the series was decided on Ancient, where another impressive T side helped Ninjas in Pyjamas take an 8-4 lead. That proved more than enough for victory, as successful force-buys netted them a comfortable 13-9 win in the end.
xKacpersky wins the battle of the new boys
The Polish rifler made his Ninjas in Pyjamas debut at one of the biggest event of the year, but the occassion didn't seem to faze the youngster. He topped the board on Nuke and secured the win with an impactful flank on Ancient, having consistent fragging output all through the series.
His opponent nilo also had some bright plays, but showed some signs of rustiness especially on the Overpass CT side, where he lost control of Toilets in many rounds, which allowed Ninjas in Pyjamas to play with the rotations.
More highlights from HEROIC vs. NIP:
  Ninjas in Pyjamas |
K - D | Swing | ADR | KAST | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 - 38 | -0.38% | 80.9 | 83.6% | 1.31 | |
| 50 - 44 | +3.50% | 79.6 | 70.1% | 1.16 | |
| 43 - 44 | +0.93% | 70.3 | 77.6% | 1.13 | |
| 41 - 45 | -0.25% | 81.5 | 80.6% | 1.12 | |
| 45 - 46 | -0.85% | 78.3 | 79.1% | 1.04 |
 HEROIC |
K - D | Swing | ADR | KAST | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 - 42 | +0.44% | 73.4 | 71.6% | 1.07 | |
| 48 - 48 | +0.12% | 77.8 | 71.6% | 1.01 | |
| 48 - 51 | +1.71% | 78.5 | 68.7% | 0.99 | |
| 44 - 48 | -2.24% | 69.8 | 64.2% | 0.92 | |
| 31 - 51 | -3.06% | 57.4 | 61.2% | 0.72 |
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