22:07
In the decider, de Sousa cannot keep up
Price scored excellently in the decider, while de Sousa hit almost nothing. The Iceman has six darts left for 40 points. It doesn’t matter that he misses the first three darts on the doubles. De Sousa has 50 points left, but Price grabs the second set with the first dart on double five.
22:05
Perfect transition
The Iceman throws a 180 to transition to the finish area. That leaves him with 84 points. He doesn’t check it yet because he missed the double 12 with the last dart. But de Sousa also fails to erase 121 points. He misses a set dart on double 16. Price is there and checks on double 6.
22:03
Price too often on the 1st
With 161 points left, Gerwyn Price throws a 1 and thus prevents a possible high finish. At the next shot he still has 80 points left and hits the 1 again. This means he can’t finish again. But de Sousa misses his chance on double 20. This gives Price another turn. With 40 points left, he first hits the big 20 and then checks over double 10.
22:00
De Sousa scored well
This time, Price can’t keep up with de Sousa’s throw. The Portuguese gets six arrows for 121 points remaining. He faces tops and also finishes the second leg on double ten. That’s 2-0 in the second set for The Special One.
21:59
Again, de Sousa faces a boogie number
With 268 points remaining, The Special One rolls a 100, again giving him a number he can’t finish. This is made even more bitter by the fact that he hits the triple-20 twice afterwards. So he could have finished with 170 points remaining. But Price doesn’t punish him for missing his one shot at Tops. De Sousa has 40 points left and needs two arrows to make it 1-0 in the second set.
21:52
De Sousa forgets to count
Price has 136 points left and de Sousa faces a boogie number with 163. This gives the Iceman six darts to clear the dots. The first two darts land in the triple-20. So he gets a direct chance on double eight, but he misses. De Sousa can only make one up due to his miscalculation. Price gets three fresh darts for 16 points left. He checks the last dart on double four. That’s 1-0 for the favourite.
21:50
The first maximum by Gerwyn Price
The Iceman also throws 180 points for the first time. As a result, he attacks de Sousa’s throw. The Portuguese can only face something while Price is down to 95 points. The Welshman hits the triple 19 with the first dart but doesn’t seem to want to check over double 19. He rebuilds through the big 14 and checks the last dart on double 12 for a break.
21:48
De Sousa again with the 180
Again, the first shot of the leg is a maximum from de Sousa. This time, however, the Portuguese cannot maintain this level. Price faces 36 points remaining while de Sousa is not yet in the finish area. The Welshman needs two darts to bag the second leg over double 18. That’s 1:1.
21:46
De Sousa starts perfectly
The Portuguese comes into the match with a 180. Geryn Price can’t keep up with that. De Sousa is the first to reach the finish area when he throws himself. He faces 40 points remaining. He misses the first dart on double 20, but Price is still too far away. The second arrow sits on the double. That’s 1-0 for The Special One.
21:35
De Sousa is the comeback champion
In any case, today against José de Sousa it is important not to show any weaknesses. The Portuguese is extremely persistent. In both previous games he was initially clean and the opponents (Whitlock and Searle) were only one set away from victory. But The Special One turned up the heat in both games and turned the tide. Gerwyn Price should be warned and not write off José de Sousa even with a clear lead.
21:34
Price showed an impressive performance recently
The world number one showed no weaknesses in the third round and impressively underpinned his title ambitions. Gerwyn Price didn’t drop a single set against the in-form Raymond van Barneveld. He sent the Dutchman home 4-0. Earlier in the second round match against Luke Woodhouse, the Welshman revealed a few weaknesses, which he can apparently turn off when it comes down to it.
21:34
The Iceman opens the round of 16
Hello and welcome to the first round of 16 of the 2023 World Darts Championship. Today at around 9:45 p.m. Gerwyn Price meets José de Sousa.