The group stage of ESL One Cologne has drawn to a close, with the field pared down by half. The remaining eight teams move on to the single elimination bracket stage to be played in the Lanxess Arena for a sold out crowd of nearly 20,000 fans. Already legends, these teams compete now to join the ranks of the elite, with the ceremony for the coronation continuing in the quarterfinals.Not one, not two, but three teams hailing from the Commonwealth of Independent States still stand at Cologne. The top dog of them all, NaVi, brushed past Group B with a solid team performance, showing an improvement in cohesion and stability that underlines the teams focus. NaVis playoff matchup is against the last North American team still competing, Team Liquid. The final hope of a region of underdogs, Liquids feel-good story may be entering its end as it faces a team far more dangerous than its group stage foes.Liquids defeat of mouz was an important win for the team and the organization, but itll need more to make a repeat semifinal appearance. The one thing it has in its favor is that it no longer has anything to lose. Now, it plays for pride. Cologne will the be the swan song of this iteration?of Liquid. Can the team give a performance that calls for an encore?The other CIS team from Group B also found its way to the brackets, albeit in less convincing fashion. Flipsid3?Tactics upset the perennial playoff team Ninjas in Pyjamas in the best-of-three decider match 2-1, which included a 16-2 embarrassment on Cache. Unfortunately for Flipsid3, it drew the short straw and has the dubious honor of playing against SK in the quarterfinals.Despite the multiple controversies that have surrounded SK for the past few months, the team appears to be playing as well as ever. Its methodical march to the finals seems a near inevitability. Having already gotten revenge for the Esports Championship Series by defeating G2, SKs only obstacle to the finals is itself. It would take a dramatic meltdown for it to fall to Flipsid3, and that simply isnt in Gabriel FalleN Toledos plan.The final member of the CIS trio, Gambit Gaming, is also the weakest of the three. The team is the benefactor of unfortunate circumstances that left its opponents playing with stand-ins for the event. Still, Gambit took advantage of the opportunity and seized the top spot in the group, a promising sign for the teams chances to advance deeper into the tournament. Guaranteed to play a second seed, Gambit had the chance of being matched with another team of a similar level. Gambits luck has run out, however, as the survivor of the notorious Group of Death awaits.Unlike Counter Logic Gaming or Astralis, Fnatic is at full strength in Cologne, and its easily the best team to come into the playoffs as the second seed. The team has looked far from flawless, dropping a map to FaZe and only just edging out G2 in the losers match. Fnatic is certainly the favorite against Gambit, but the team needs to fix its mistakes quickly if it has any finals aspirations.Virtus.Pro may not be a CIS team in reality, but it might be a close cousin. The team of Polish veterans had a shaky year, most notably getting relegated out of the ESL Pro League. Still, the team is known for showing up at the majors, and certainly has the ability to go on a deep run in any tournament with its signature Virtus Plow style. The next match against Astralis could be the tipping point, as either team begins to gain momentum or falter and bow out.Similarly, Astralis hasnt had the best results in 2016 either. For a team that looked so consistent throughout the previous year, Astralis is now searching for answers to the question of how the team can be capable of pulling off a championship run. The prognosis is more bleak at Cologne, as medical problems have further hampered the roster, forcing the teams coach to compete instead. To defeat Virtus Pro would be a testament to the teams competitive spirit, but no one would be surprised if Astralis simply made its exit.Adidas NMD Tarjous . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad. Adidas NMD XR1 Ale . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/adidas-nmd-r2-halvalla.html .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Adidas Falcon Kengät . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Myydään Adidas NMD . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15.CHICAGO -- Tucker Barnhart hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off Trevor Cahill in the seventh inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat Chicago 5-3 Wednesday in the Cubs 12th loss in 17 games.A day after having seven players selected for next weeks All-Star Game, the Cubs lost to the last-place Reds for the second time in three days and dropped below Texas for the best record in the major leagues.Chicago led 3-1 when Brandon Phillips and Jose Peraza hit consecutive one-out singles against Cahill (1-3) and Barnhart sent a 2-2 sinker into the basket in center field for his third home run this year.Anthony DeSclafani (3-0) allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings.TIGERS 12, INDIANS 2CLEVELAND -- Nick Castellanos had three hits, including a three-run homer, and tied his career high with five RBI to lead Detroit and stop Clevelands home winning streak at 13.Rookie Michael Fulmer (9-2) allowed two runs -- one earned -- and five hits in six innings, improving to 7-1 with a 0.63 ERA in his last nine starts.Josh Tomlin (9-2) retired his first nine batters, then gave up hits to four of his next five and lost for the first time since May 30. He allowed eight runs, tying his big league high, and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.NATIONALS 7, BREWERS 4WASHINGTON -- Bryce Harper hit the first of Washingtons three home runs, and the Nationals returned to form.After watching Washington score a combined two runs in the first two games of the series, manager Dusty Baker said before the finale, Were operating at a low energy level right now.Harper remedied that with a three-run shot in the first inning, the Nationnals first long ball in three games.dddddddddddd Ryan Zimmerman chased Brewers starter Matt Garza (1-2) with a two-run drive in the fifth for a 7-4 lead.Tanner Roark (8-5) allowed four runs and seven hits in seven innings for the Nationals.METS 4, MARLINS 2NEW YORK -- Wilmer Flores homered twice and Jacob deGrom pitched seven strong innings for New York.Giancarlo Stanton went deep twice for the second consecutive day to reach 200 homers.Following a 26-pitch first inning, deGrom (5-4) settled in and won his second straight start after going winless in his previous 10.Left-hander Justin Nicolino (2-5) fell to 0-5 in his last 10 major league starts.PHILLIES 4, BRAVES 3PHILADELPHIA -- Freddy Galvis hit a two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning to lift Philadelphia.Maikel Franco hit a homer for the fourth straight game. Galvis lined a 2-2 pitch off Arodys Vizcaino (1-4) into the seats in right after Franco had started the inning with a walk.Hector Neris (3-3) got the win despite allowing a go-ahead run in the top of the eighth. Jeanmar Gomez finished for his 23rd save in 25 tries.TWINS 4, ATHLETICS 0MINNEAPOLIS -- Ervin Santana struck out eight and walked none in a two-hitter for Minnesota.Santana (3-7) pitched his eighth shutout and 15th complete game, helping the Twins take two of three from the As.Sonny Gray (3-8) gave up one run, six hits and four walks in six innings, losing his seventh straight decision, the longest active skid in the American League. ' ' '