KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian outfits - SMG and Homebois - faltered in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M5 World Championship in Manila on Wednesday.
Homebois lost 2-1 to Russia's DeusVult in their second Group D match at the EVM Convention Centre and now face a must-win match against TheOhioBrothers (TOB) of the United States on Thursday.
The Malaysian champions started their campaign by defeating Indonesia's Geek Fam 2-0 in Group D on Saturday.
Homebois, who are third in Group D, could still advance to the knockout stage by beating TOB who had lost their opening two matches.
Homebois coach Khairul Azman Mohd Sharif said the Russians played well but it was their own mistakes which cost them the match.
"DeusVult played well, but it was our mistakes. In the draft, we tried to be unorthodox and got punished," said Khairul.
Homebois' seasoned hand Zul Hisham Mohd Noor, who is nicknamed Xorn, said: "There was a lot of miscommunication, which was unexpected. We lost this match, so there will be more pressure on us for the match tomorrow."
SMG bowed out with their heads held high after winning their final Group B match, 2-1, against Brazilian side RRQ Akira on Monday.
SMG's campaign in the World Championship started with a defeat (2-0) to Turkiye's Fire Flux Esports last Saturday and Filipino side Blacklist International (2-1).
SMG missed out on the knockout stage as only the top two teams in the group will advance.