MLBB: PH hopes still alive as Team Falcons PH advances to MSC playoffs

Just when the Philippines' hopes in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup seemed on the verge of fading, Team Falcons PH delivered when it mattered most.

Team Falcons PH ousted Team Falcons MENA, 2-0, in a battle between sister organizations in the MSC lower bracket semifinals on Sunday in Paris.

Team Falcons now qualified for the playoffs, salvaging the country's title hopes after reigning champion Team Liquid crashed out of contention after going winless through two games.

And Team Falcons did so in emphatic fashion.

Mildaner Salic "Hadji" Imam, who is marking his return to the international stage since the M4 World Championship in 2024 with Blacklist International, proved to be unstoppable on the Selena in Game 1 after he instigated a 3-0 start that set the tone for the Filipinos.

Team Falcons patiently controlled the map before jungler Michael "Kyle" Sayson (Nolan) secured an uncontested Lord in the 16th minute, giving the Filipinos the opening they needed to break into the enemy base and close out the opener.

Kyle once again delivered in the clutch, this time on Hirara, after securing the crucial Lord before the 14-minute mark. He then cleaned up Team Falcons MENA one by one, completing a Maniac to put the game beyond reach as Team Falcons PH reached the knockout stage.

Team Falcons PH will have a chance at redemption when it faces Indonesian champion Team Vitality in the knockout quarterfinals. The MPL Indonesia Season 17 champion previously handed Team Falcons a 2-0 defeat in the upper bracket semifinals, sending the Philippine squad to the lower bracket.

In the other brackets, surging Aurora Turkiye will take on powerhouse Onic Indonesia while Team Vamos and Pro Esports will face Team Spirit and Yangon Galacticos, respectively.

—JKC, GMA News