"I was too sloppy. He was just a class better" - Van Duijvenbode shrugs after loss against Noppert

Dirk van Duijvenbode was forced to concede defeat to compatriot Danny Noppert at the 2025 European Darts Championship on Friday. ‘The Aubergenius’ went down 6–3 in a match where he had opportunities, but inconsistency ultimately proved his downfall. “I had chances, but I was way too sloppy,” he admitted matter-of-factly in his post-match interview with Viaplay.

The contest began promisingly for Van Duijvenbode, who—as always—made his entrance brimming with energy. “I actually started quite well,” he reflected. “I had scoring chances, but I wasn’t sharp enough with my finishing. In the first few legs I hit some trebles, but after that I just let it slip too much.”

Despite falling behind, Van Duijvenbode continued to battle. “I kept my head up,” he insisted. “No matter what the score is, I just want to get the best out of it. Even when you know it’s going to be tough, I keep fighting. Maybe with one break you can still make it exciting.”

At 5–3 down, a glimmer of hope still remained. “He started that leg badly with a 60, and I opened with a treble 20, but the dart went dangling,” he explained. “That’s annoying, because if that dart lands right, you can fire in a 180 straight away. Instead I had to switch and scored 97. Then he throws two 180s—yeah, then you know. If I start with that 180, he doesn’t. That’s unfortunate. He was just a class better.”

Normally renowned as one of the circuit’s top 180 hitters, Van Duijvenbode found himself outscored in the power scoring department, with Noppert landing five more maximums. “He threw five more than you,” interviewer Arjan van der Giessen pointed out. Van Duijvenbode could only shrug. “I don’t know what to say to that. Danny was just very good today. I could have been good too, but I was sloppy. I had enough good visits, but also too many poor ones—you don’t normally have those. And that’s where you lose the start of the game.”

Van Duijvenbode refused to be overly harsh on himself but admitted that he came up short. “I wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t good either,” he said honestly. “And then you lose a match like that deservedly. Danny was just very sharp.”