Philippines caused a major upset on Day Two at the BetVictor World Cup of Darts, dumping out former finalists Belgium to book their place in the knockout stages.

Lourence Ilagan and Paolo Nebrida trailed Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh 3-0 in their winner-takes-all Group B showdown, only to reel off four straight legs to complete a stunning fightback.

De Decker and Van den Bergh squandered seven match darts in the closing stages, with Nebrida hitting all four of Philippines’ winning doubles to condemn Belgium to their earliest exit in World Cup history.

“We didn’t expect this. We are really happy to win,” reflected Ilagan, who also led his side to a 4-2 win over Latvia in their opening round-robin tie.

“It’s not easy to play against two of the best players in the PDC, but we just tried to play our own game and we trusted each other.”

It was a memorable day for Asian darts in Frankfurt, as Malaysia and Hong Kong also made it through to the last 16 as the group stage reached a dramatic conclusion.

Malaysia created their own slice of history to join Philippines in the knockout stages, as Tengku Shah and Tan Jenn Ming inspired them to an emphatic 4-1 win over Denmark in a decisive Group F match.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung and Lok Yin Lee breezed into round two with a whitewash win over Bahrain, following on from their 4-1 demolition of USA on Thursday’s opening night.

Four-time champions Netherlands, 2022 winners Australia and host nation Germany also preserved their title hopes during a marathon double session at the Eissporthalle.

Dutch duo Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen stormed through Group A without relinquishing a leg, whitewashing Hungary to continue their pursuit of a record-equalling fifth title.

Australian icons Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock produced a terrific display to dump out two-time runners-up Austria in their Group H finale, having also swept aside Spain earlier in the day.

Heta averaged 114 in their rubber against Spain, before Australia won four successive legs to complete a 4-1 thumping of Mensur Suljovic and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez in Friday’s penultimate tie.

Host nation Germany safely navigated their way through the group phase, as Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko swept aside Singapore in four straight legs.

Paul Lim – partnered by newcomer Phuay Wei Tan – rolled back the years at the age of 71 as Singapore denied Portugal, before losing out to the home favourites in a straight Group C shoot-out.

Republic of Ireland suffered a shock 4-2 defeat at the hands of China in Group D, although William O’Connor and Keane Barry scraped through to the last 16 via legs won against the throw.

Following Gibraltar’s 4-2 win over China earlier in the day, all three teams were remarkably tied on points and legs difference, with the 2019 runners-up confirming top spot by the barest of margins.

Ninth seeds Poland were another high-profile nation to exit on Day Two, as South African stars Cameron Carolissen and Devon Petersen claimed the spoils in a rollercoaster Group E.

Carolissen and Petersen preserved their qualification hopes with a 4-1 thumping of Norway, who later defeated Krzysztof Ratajski and Radek Szaganski to send South Africa through.

Argentina’s fairy-tale story continues

Argentina – the solitary debutants in this year’s field – made their mark in some style, edging out New Zealand in a deciding-leg thriller to clinch their place in Saturday’s second round.

Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak progressed through Group G, despite succumbing 4-3 to France in a battle of the former World Cup quarter-finalists.

Thibault Tricole and Jacques Labre squandered opportunities to send France through via legs difference, and they were ultimately left to rue their deciding-leg defeat to Lithuania in Friday’s curtain-raiser.

Switzerland also advanced in dramatic fashion, as Stefan Bellmont and Alex Fehlmann shrugged off a 4-3 defeat to Croatia by dispatching Japan 4-1 to finish top of Group K via legs difference.

Elsewhere, Czechia secured top spot in Group J, recording back-to-back 4-2 victories over Chinese Taipei and India to reach the knockout stages for the second straight year.

England to face hosts Germany in blockbuster tie

The draw for the last 16 was made following the completion of Friday evening’s action, and reigning champions England – led by Luke Humphries and debutant Luke Littler – will open their defence of the title with a blockbuster tussle against hosts Germany.

Two-time champions Scotland will play Netherlands in another crunch clash, while Wales begin their bid for a third World Cup crown against Philippines.

Fourth seeds Northern Ireland go up against South Africa for a place in the last eight, with 2022 champions Australia pitted against Argentina.

Former finalists Republic of Ireland meet Switzerland, Hong Kong play Sweden, as Malaysia and Czechia also collide.

Following Saturday’s second round, the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will then take place during a bumper double session on Sunday, as the remaining eight nations compete for the coveted title at the Eissporthalle.

Last 16 Draw
(1) England vs Germany
Argentina vs Australia
(4) Northern Ireland vs South Africa
Switzerland vs Republic of Ireland

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(2) Wales v Philippines
Hong Kong v Sweden
(3) Scotland v Netherlands
Malaysia v Czechia

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