After bowing out of IEM Cologne 2025 early, Team Liquid has registered a disappointing 1-2 loss to VP.Prodigy, the developmental branch of Virtus.pro.
The match took place on August 1, 2025, at RES Showdown 2: BLAST Premier Rising Event. Liquid and VP.Prodigy matched up in the quarter-finals of the playoffs, and Liquid was solidly expected to advance. However, after winning Dust 2 to ensure a map three, Prodigy narrowly took Nuke in overtime to earn the massive upset. After the match, Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken posted an unusually heated social media post that could signal roster changes. Team Liquid is currently ranked 18th on the HLTV leaderboard. VP.Prodigy is ranked 83rd.
The underdog win featured a phenomenal performance from VP.Prodigy AWPer Vladimir “b1st” Krasikov, who earned 55 kills in the series with three clutches. Vadim “tO0RO” Arkov also performed admirably as an entry fragger. Two clutches and a 86.7% KAST on T side showcased his first-in, last-out playstyle. The training squad will go on to face FUT Esports in the semi-finals on August 2.
Twistzz scolds Liquid after loss to VP.Prodigy
After Team Liquid’s loss to VP.Prodigy, Twistzz released a social media post saying Team Liquid is “not a team.”
Twistzz played well in the series, earning the team’s highest KAST rate at 72.3% with 75.1 damage per round. However, Liquid’s man of the match was solidly Keith “NAF” Markovic, who went +19 for kills and deaths while matching Twistzz’s two clutches. Guy “NertZ” Iluz and Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek lagged far behind, earning .89 and .80 ratings respectively. Liquid collectively lost seven clutches throughout a series, which could indicate poor team cohesion.
Shortly after the match, Twistzz posted an apology to fans for Liquid’s rough run this season.
“We are not a team. No words for how we play. 1 – 2 to VP academy… Sorry to the fans for the terrible performance in the past weeks,” said Twistzz.
Image Credit: Helena Kristiansson, ESL
Twistzz rarely scolds his team for poor performances, but his social media statements have grown harsher since Liquid’s loss to his former team FaZe Clan at the IEM Cologne play-in. Liquid has had a tumultuous year for roster moves, replacing two players and its coach since January. With a 0-3 run at the Austin Major, a disappointment in Cologne, and now a loss to an academy team, the squad could make additional changes soon.