"I am glad that I can show all the idiots on the internet": Martin Schindler hits out at perception of 'weak' Germany line-up from online critics

Germany are back in the World Cup of Darts quarter-finals after Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko held off the Czech Republic 8-6 in Frankfurt.

The German pair averaged 92.09 against a Czech duo who finished on 90.07, with the match tightening after Schindler and Pietreczko had looked in control early on. The win sends Germany into the last eight for the second year in a row, with the Schindler-Pietreczko partnership again showing why it worked so well at last year’s event.

“We were comfortably ahead,” Schindler said in conversation with Dartsnews. “In the opening phase, the Czechs made a few mistakes, and we profited from that well.”

The second half of the match was less comfortable. “Then basically the exact opposite happened,” Schindler added. “We made small mistakes and they kept throwing strong scores. They really played a good game.”

Pietreczko also felt the Czech Republic found a strong rhythm once the match settled. “In a doubles format, of course, you only have half the darts,” he said. “Sometimes you are standing there ready, you throw a 60 or a 140, and the leg is already over. That is how they played in certain moments. They were really in a good flow.”

Schindler and Pietreczko have now reached consecutive World Cup quarter-finals together, and Pietreczko said the trust between them has not changed since their first campaign as a pairing. “Martin and I simply work very well together on stage,” he said. “From the beginning, we said that we fully trust each other. He trusts me and I trust him. That is still exactly the same as last year.”

Schindler was full of praise for his team-mate, particularly after a difficult spell for Pietreczko in recent months. “Ricardo deserves enormous respect for the way he keeps fighting,” Schindler said. “He has not had an easy time, everybody knows that. But he keeps going. Despite everything, he is there in the important moments. Then come the big scores or the decisive finishes. He always brings an incredible fighting spirit to the stage.”

Pietreczko returned the compliment by pointing to Schindler’s scoring power and composure. “What Martin gives me is calm and security,” he said. “Above all with his scoring. If I have a weaker visit, he often clears it up straight away with a big score. We simply complement each other very well.”

For Pietreczko, Germany’s run is also about regaining feeling and confidence on stage. The former Euro Tour winner said the World Cup has helped him move out of a difficult period. “Everyone who knows me knows that I am a fighter,” Pietreczko said. “I do not simply give up on what I love. I love darts, and especially playing doubles with Martin.”

The Germany shirt and the doubles format have brought something different from the grind of the individual tour. “This tournament helps me enormously to get out of this difficult phase,” Pietreczko said. “I think people could also see today that I am enjoying myself on stage again. Playing together with Martin is just incredibly fun.”

Germany also produced one of the sharpest legs of the tie. “The quality is still there,” Pietreczko added. “We even won a leg in eleven darts today. That shows that the level is there.”

Schindler has been in strong form on the ProTour, but he still believes there is more to come from his game. “I always feel that there is still more in there,” he said. “Because in doubles format you only throw half the darts, maybe you do not see everything in the statistics. But I know what I can do.”

He was far more direct when asked about criticism around his form and recent challenges away from the oche. “Above all, I am glad that I can show all the idiots on the internet that even when people think you are in a weak phase, you can still reach the quarter-finals of a World Cup,” Schindler said.

Schindler has also leaned heavily on mental support during a demanding period, and he again credited his mental coach Johannes. “I have mentioned my mental coach often, and not without reason,” Schindler said. “Without him, it would probably have been much harder to stand here and play my darts.”

His own refusal to drift away from the sport remains just as important. “I simply have an enormous fighting spirit,” he said. “I do not want to give up. That is inside me. Darts is my life. Without darts, I would not know what to do.”

Germany are now into Sunday’s quarter-finals, with Schindler and Pietreczko through another test after a match that started comfortably and ended with the Czech Republic pushing them deep.