Team Liquid have eliminated Natus Vincere from ESL One Cologne following a tense 2-1 victory, advancing to the semifinals in the process.

Na`Vi won the first map, Train, after Liquid secured a 10-5 lead in the first half, with Na`Vi losing only one round in the second half as CT. flamie in particular had a strong map, securing a 1.56 KDR in 27 rounds.

Nuke, the second map, was far closer, as both teams traded round throughout the game, with neither team gaining a sizable lead. But a clutch triple kill by Hiko late in the second half swung the momentum in Liquid's favor, as they would go on to force a Map 3 with a 16-12 victory.

While the first two maps were closely contested, Na`Vi completely collapsed on Cobblestone, winning only six rounds in Liquid's 16-6 win. Despite winning a few rounds in the second half, Na`Vi could not break Liquid's lead, ending their run at the Major.

Related: peacemaker on how Liquid took down Na`Vi: 'We've improved our map pool a lot'​

This marks Liquid second appearance in a row in a Major semifinal, having previously lost to Luminosity Gaming in the semifinals of the MLG Major Championship: Columbus. Na`Vi were the runners up to that Major, but are now heading home with a comparatively disappointing Top 8 finish.

Liquid will next play against the winner of the Gambit Gaming vs. Fnatic in the semifinals on Saturday.

Preston Dozsa is a news editor for theScore esports. You can follow him on Twitter.