Team Belgium has secured a place in the last 16 of the World Cup of Darts after all. Following a disappointing opening day, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Mike De Decker bounced back with a crucial victory against Slovenia. As Slovenia went on to beat Hong Kong 4-2, the Belgians remain in the tournament.
After the match, both players spoke to the media. Van den Bergh, in particular, spoke candidly about the difficult period he is going through, his struggle with a dip in form and the crucial role De Decker has played over the past few days. “From my point of view, yesterday I just don't know how to explain it. Whatever happened up there happened. Afterwards, Mike and I had a conversation. He said, 'Dimi, I know you're working hard, I know you're pushing, I know you're trying, but if it's not happening, it's not happening. You can't do anything about it,'” said Van den Bergh to Online Darts.
“He knows, and I know, that I'm giving 110%. Yesterday Mike was fantastic, but I still didn't do enough, and for me that was a killer. I'm happy that I managed to turn things around today and help him when he wasn't finding the treble 20s like he was yesterday. We both felt that today we really played like a team. It was definitely a good change and I'm really happy about that.”
Van den Bergh admitted that the doubt from the outside world and in their own minds was present, but stressed the importance of playing with heart. “We knew there was doubt from the outside world and we knew there was doubt in our own minds as well. But at the end of the day, we're always going to step on that stage and give 110%. It's important to play with your heart. It doesn't matter what the criticism is going to be or what people say. What matters is what we do. That's action. Today we've got a good win, an important win, and it keeps us in the running. That's all we can focus on.”
However, Van den Bergh revealed that his confidence had been crushed after thinking he was returning to form, only to have his throw malfunction go “worldwide” due to how poorly he played. “A couple of weeks ago I said that I felt like I was back to about 70 or 80 percent. I even did an interview with a journalist back home in Belgium and said exactly that. But after that interview there were still things going on at home. All I wanted to do was move forward and make things easier. That wasn't the case yesterday. Everybody saw it worldwide and I still don't have an explanation for it. So in a way, I'm back to square one. Today was a good day and I played better, but all I can really say is thank you to Mike for being a great leader.”
