Team Liquid Philippines suffered their first defeat at the M7 World Championship, falling 1-2 to Malaysia’s Selangor Red Giants (SRG) in the Swiss stage on Tuesday in Jakarta, Indonesia.

After a strong start with a Game 1 win, Team Liquid failed to maintain momentum, struggling against SRG’s double fighter composition in Games 2 and 3.

Filipino player Kiel “Oheb” Soriano initially shone by shutting down SRG’s surprise goldlane Sora pick, but Malaysian forces quickly targeted him in the following games, limiting Team Liquid’s resources.

SRG’s Filipino import, John Vincent Banal, led his team’s midgame surge, dominating with Sora and Cici.

Soriano finished with KDA scores of 5-1-10 in Game 2 and 5-2-11 in Game 3. For Team Liquid, Oheb recorded the series’ standout performance in Game 1 with a 5-2-7 KDA on Claude.

The victory secured SRG a spot in the knockout stage, while Team Liquid dropped to fourth place in the Swiss standings.

Despite the setback, Team Liquid still has a chance to qualify for the playoffs if they defeat Myanmar’s Yangon Galacticos in its next match.