Portugal and Austria are the latest two countries through to the second round at the World Cup of Darts after contrasting wins to begin their campaigns.
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The former had a tough opening tie facing Republic of Ireland's Steve Lennon and William O'Connor but it was Jose de Sousa and Jose Marques who came out on top in a decider.
Ireland were in control early on claiming back-to-back 17 darters to take the game to the side but De Sousa produced a break at 3-2 down to make it 3-3 which proved pivotal.
This soon turned the tables as Portugal were forced into a decider but they had the throw which De Sousa snatched to see off the 2019 finalists who have yet to come through a tie after their brilliance two years ago.
While Austria are always good value for the Quarter-Finals and no further and will hope to break that cycle this year.
Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez are back together once more with the former returning recently to the oche after problems away from the board while Rodriguez and his brother Rusty-Jake have been in brilliant form.
It was a performance befitting of that with a clinical display from the duo to win 5-1 against a below par Philippines.
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They took the early break to go 2-1 up and Rodriguez left 68 for Suljovic to consolidate that which 'The Gentle' took to send them 3-1 ahead.
Rodriguez didn't lay up and went for bullseye from 127 which left Suljovic 25 instead but he continued to pin the double after being provided the chance. This allowed another break to make it 4-1.
Suljovic turned provider as he left Rodriguez 50 for the win which he claimed.
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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