KUALA LUMPUR – The Selangor Red Giants’ quest for the Golden Road came to a heartbreaking end tonight.
After a convincing 3-0 win over Team Spirit earlier in the day, Selangor ran out of steam and suffered a tough 3-0 defeat against Team Liquid ID, bowing out of the M6 World Championship at the Axiata Arena.
Fatigue appeared to play a crucial role in the reigning MPL Malaysia champions’ loss to the defending MPL Indonesia winners, especially evident in their struggles during the decisive Game 3.
“Ayokong mag-sound na gumagawa ng excuse, pero actually second experience ko ‘to na ganito ‘yung setup. Actually last M4, kami (RRQ Hoshi) rin ‘yung nasa lower bracket, nanalo kami ng first match namin early morning and then we have a match the same day,” shared head coach Michael “Arcadia” Bocado.
“To be honest, sa akin may factor siya (fatigue). Let’s be realistic, if you’re playing two games in one day, syempre mapaghahandaan ka and then wala rin sa’yo ano, bawas ‘yung stamina mo. Ang advantage mo lang siguro is galing ka sa winning momentum, pero kung paguusapan tungkol sa fatigue level, for sure mas mababa energy mo,” he added.
The Red Giants, led by Filipino gold laner John “Innocent” Banal, held their ground against Team Liquid in the series opener. Innocent (Bruno) and Hazziq “Stormie” Rizwan (Pharsa) kept the team competitive despite lackluster contributions from the rest of the squad. However, Team Liquid thwarted Selangor’s siege attempt and delivered a decisive four-man wipe to secure the Game 1 victory in 25 minutes.
Game 2 was another tight battle, with Selangor fending off a Team Liquid siege at the 11-minute mark that left them with only one turret standing. Despite their resilience, critical kills on Innocent (Granger) and Mark “Kramm” Rusiana (Gloo) at the 18-minute mark sealed the game for Team Liquid.
With momentum fully on their side, Team Liquid dominated Game 3, needing just 11 minutes to complete the sweep and end Selangor’s Golden Road campaign—the third attempt at such an achievement in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s professional scene.
Despite the painful loss, Selangor’s journey to a third-place finish in their world stage debut was nothing short of impressive. The Red Giants secured back-to-back MPL MY titles and the ML:BB Mid Season Cup earlier this year, making them one of the most dominant teams in the region.
Earlier in the day, Selangor had no trouble dispatching Team Spirit, 3-0, to advance to the lower bracket finals.
