"This victory means a lot to me - then I let it all out" - Overjoyed Martin Schindler discloses delight after finally triumphing in European Championship

The spell has finally been broken for Martin Schindler, who won his first match at the European Championship at the sixth time of asking on Thursday evening. Despite trailing 3-0 at one stage, "The Wall" prevailed 6-5 against Dave Chisnall. In an interview with DAZN after the match, the 29-year-old explained how big a load was lifted from his mind after pinning the match dart.

"You can hear it in my voice, this victory means a lot to me. It took a really long time and I just wanted it to happen now. Then I let it all out," explained Schindler in an interview with DAZN presenter Adrian Geiler.

The match was a rollercoaster of emotions. After Chisnall had secured the first three legs, Schindler fought back to level the match at 3-3. From then on, however, the match remained closely contested, leading to a thrilling decider at 5-5. Although Chisnall had the throw, Schindler marched away in the scoring and finally checked out on double 20 for his first EDC win. Not only he won, but he hugely impressed in front of a home crowd, averaging 104.05 and pinning 67% of his doubles.

"I didn't play too badly overall today either - but you only miss one chance and you're already a bit behind the whole time. That's how it felt today. I should have won the third leg, but I didn't - but I was still able to come back well with my scores and finishes," Schindler analysed after the match.

When asked whether he felt pressure to show the darts world that he can also perform at major tournaments, the German number one replied: "No, I wouldn't say that. I know that I can play well, that I can gamble when necessary. For me, the first leg felt like this: After a decent score, I'm on 167 rest, which I don't check and I've already lost the first leg. As I couldn't win my throw-off leg either, the game became difficult. But again, I know what I can play. Sometimes you have to take advantage of the fact that your opponent misses."

When the interview was already over, Schindler slipped back into the moderation: "Am I playing against Ryan Joyce?" asked The Wall. "Ah ok, I didn't know. Today's game was important," Schindler laughed at the end.