Ricardo Pietreczko fails early at the Darts World Cup due to an outsider from Sweden. Once again the German number two appears to be too shaky. After the end, Pietreczko is silent.
Ricardo Pietreczko had actually already celebrated the breast release in order to really arrive on stage. The German number two in darts had just equalized after sets to make it 1-1 – and made a real statement in the process. 158 points, the sixth highest finish in darts, cleared under the greatest pressure from his opponent. Pietreczko beat his chest wildly, roaring at his followers. However, anyone who thought that he had solved his task in the third round of the World Cup and unsettled the Swede Andreas Harrysson was wrong.
“Pikachu” has had a wild roller coaster ride at this World Cup so far. First he survived circulatory problems against the Portuguese José de Sousa in round one, then a match dart and a shaking hand against the Englishman Dave Chisnall in round two.
The game against Andreas Harrysson, in which Pietreczko was the clear favorite, was one rollercoaster ride too many. “Pikachu” was eliminated disappointingly 2:4. Against the bearded Swede, who only started the tournament as number 114, the 31-year-old German was once again shaky. Sometimes he lost four legs in a row, such as immediately after the 158 finish described. At times there was a complete lack of height on the triple fields. Then he checked 116 points again to make his way to tying the set at 2-2, only to throw in a shot with ten points a short time later.
Audience upsets Pietreczko
“What are you doing?” Ricardo Pietreczko asked himself after the completely messed up recording. Lip reading made easy. The crucial statistic: Pietreczko completely missed the triple more than twice as often as Harrysson. He couldn’t keep up with the Swede in the fifth set either – Pietreczko had his back to the wall at 2:3.
Afterwards, Pietreczko also threw the audience off their feet. At the beginning of the sixth set, the German had to stop again before one of his shots, apparently because there had been whistles from the audience. Referee Charlie Corstorphine gave a short speech to the fans, urging them to refrain from such behavior.
The fans actually supported Pietreczko. The German fans had already taken over the scepter in the Ally Pally at midday during Jonny Clayton’s game, who is now waiting for Harrysson in the round of 16. “Without Germany there would be nothing going on here,” sang the audience. Traditionally, Borussia Dortmund also got their fat off with insulting songs.
The football club is a popular destination in party locations where there are particularly many Germans, as is traditionally the case at Ally Pally after Christmas. The chants also occur regularly in the Bierkönig and Megapark on Mallorca.
How much did BVB striker Maximilian Beier, who experienced the evening in the Ally Pally just like Gladbach star Tim Kleindienst and at times acted as an expert on the DAZN microphone, notice? Like Pietreczko, he probably noticed the many calls of “Pikachu” that came from the German camp. They didn’t help.
No statements after the defeat
Harrysson made the preliminary decision with a 146 finish at the break and then converted his second match dart on double 19. It was the biggest victory of his life, as Harrysson later admitted at the press conference. Pietreczko did not want to comment afterwards and neither gave the broadcasting channels Sport1 and DAZN nor the waiting print journalists answers to their questions.
Pietreczko’s defeat provides a taste of what could blossom on Sunday. Then there will be a German celebration at the World Cup. At midday, Martin Schindler will first face Ryan Searle in his third round game (1:40 p.m./Sport1 and DAZN). In the evening, former semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens will play second-in-command Luke Humphries (approx. 9:30 p.m.) and debutant Arno Merk will play superstar Michael van Gerwen (approx. 10:40 p.m.). However, Clemens and Merk are clear outsiders in their games, and Schindler also expects a tricky task with Searle. The German dreams of a big coup could be over sooner than desired due to the exit of Pietreczko, who had the easiest fate for the Germans.
Darts World Cup 2026, results 3rd round
Wesley Plaisier (NED) – Krzysztof Ratajski (POL) 3:4
Andrew Gilding (ENG) – Luke Woodhouse (ENG/25) 1:4
Jonny Clayton (WAL/5) — Niels Zonneveld (NED) 4:3
from 8:15 p.m.:
Andreas Harrysson (SWE) – Ricardo Pietreczko (D) 4:2
Stephen Bunting (ENG/4) – James Hurrell
Luke Littler (ENG/1) – Mensur Suljovic (AUT)
Luca Wiecek is sports editor for WELT. He will be reporting from Alexandra Palace in London until New Year’s Eve.
