Ricardo Pietreczko first applauded appreciatively and then pointed his finger at winner Luke Humphries. After a real darts thriller, the debutant was the last German to say goodbye to the World Cup stage at London’s Alexandra Palace. But the man from Nuremberg, nicknamed “Pikachu,” put up a great fight.
Pietreczko brought the top English favorite Humphries to the brink of defeat, but ultimately had to admit defeat 3:4. The German high-flying campaign on the island ended on a sobering note. “The anger predominates because it was 3-1 at the time,” said Pietreczko at the Sport1 microphone.
Previously, Florian Hempel was also eliminated in the third round with a 4-0 defeat against Stephen Bunting – like Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler on Wednesday. There had never been a German quartet in the third round of a World Cup before.
Hempel: “If the timing isn’t right, it’s difficult”
Pietreczko was close to becoming only the second German player after Clemens to reach the round of the last 16 of a World Cup. The 29-year-old played himself into a frenzy against Humphries after winning his first set. However, when the score was 1:3, his English opponent recovered and gradually found his way back to his old strength.
Previously, Humphries, who has won three of the last four major tournaments, seemed to buckle under the pressure of the top favorite. “Cool Hand” changed his flights, shook his head again and again and also got into a fight with the booing German fans. Pietreczko, on the other hand, got stronger and stronger before the tide turned again in the fifth set.
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At Hempel, the defeat was more obvious in the afternoon – despite a decent performance. “If the timing isn’t right, it’s difficult,” said the Cologne resident at Sport1. “It was a great game, very intense up there on stage. But losing so clearly is tough.”
“Kölsche Jung” against BDO world champions
The former handball goalkeeper confidently stormed onto the stage shortly before 2 p.m. to the Brings carnival hit “Kölsche Jung,” but then it quickly came to an end. Bunting, BDO world champion from 2014 and seeded number 18, played down the 501 twice in just eleven darts.
Although Hempel managed a 164 finish to the cheers of many German fans, he still lost the first set. He was good, Bunting was better: the Englishman scored an average of more than 100 points with three darts and only opened a small door back into the match for Hempel. But Hempel missed his opportunity in the fourth set.
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Secret of the dart: Looking for the perfect throw Image: FAZ.NET
Gabriel Clemens was thinking positively again the day after his crash landing against Dave Chisnall (1:4). On Instagram, the “German Giant” presented his 263,000 followers with a bracelet with the words “Giving up is not an option” and accompanied the short clip with the song “Never Give Up” by Australian pop star Sia.
