At Friday night China played against Republic of Ireland at the PDC World Cup of Darts 2025. Lohao Wen won the third leg by hitting double 9 and he celebrated this as shown below. At least that is what he thought had happened…
CHINA OFF THE MARK!
Lihao Wen thought he had opened China's account, but it's Xiaochen Zong who does the job to halve the deficit!
📺 https://t.co/UfXH46Ws3Q#WCOD25 | First Round pic.twitter.com/THD79z6d4X
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 13, 2025
It led to a rather awkward moment, the kind we only experience during this tournament. Still, the Chinese didn’t let it get to them, and they even managed to turn the match around, winning that leg as well. A 4-2 victory over the Irish was the result, but it wasn’t enough. On leg difference, William O’Connor and Keane Barry narrowly made it through.
The Chinese returned home, but with a good feeling and a win to close things off. And it wasn’t the first time China made an impression on the big stage—we all still remember the footage of Wenge Xie celebrating his 171 score with three triple 19s as if he had just won the world championship.
Meanwhile, Adrian Lewis finished the leg, but he hardly noticed, still celebrating his own high score with the crowd. That’s what makes the PDC World Cup of Darts such a special tournament: in every session, the best moments between players on stage come to life.
VIDEO: Funny Interview With Team Netherlands After Winning 16 Legs In A Row
Starting Saturday, the final 16 are on the schedule, with much anticipation for the clashes between the Netherlands and Scotland and the showdown between England and Germany. Both are set for Saturday evening.
Gian van Veen and Danny Noppert are the players representing the Netherlands this year, hoping to uphold their nation’s honor. The Netherlands has won the world title in this team-format tournament four times, and each time Raymond van Barneveld was part of the team.
The first title came in 2010 when Barney claimed victory alongside Co Stompé. Three more titles followed in 2014, 2017, and 2018, when he teamed up with Michael van Gerwen to represent his country.
Noppert and Van Veen have already expressed their determination to see a fifth star on the Dutch shirt next year.