German duo Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko have jumped to the defence of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries following their shock victory over the pair at the World Cup of Darts. The Germany pairing secured a 8-4 success on Saturday night against the competitions’ favourites to send shockwaves through the tournament.

Schindler and Pietreczko thrived under the pressure in front of the rowdy home crowd, and they could have laid down an even greater marker if they did not lose two of the final three legs on the night.

Despite the surprising nature of the defeat, the Germans slammed those in attendance in Frankfurt for being noisy throughout the clash – despite the crowd showing them support and booing Humphries and Littler when they stepped up to the oche.

Speaking after the match, Schindler said: “I think it was definitely one of the best atmospheres we’ve had in the World Cup. I mean, obviously, we have to say that we don’t approve of the whistling and booing, but, for us, we have to say it’s not getting any easier for us because our opponents are getting booed and whistled.

“So we still need to go up there and perform, and we’ve done that today. The both Lukes have been struggling, as it seems to me and I think the day is done now for us and we are happy that we’ve won that one.”

He later added: “We believed in ourselves and we put in a solid performance, and the double 16s that Ricardo threw were so important. We are delighted to go through. German darts is in good shape right now and we will continue to push forward."

Germany will now face Australia in the final eight on Sunday, and former darts star Wayne Mardle believes that if the duo can build on their win over Humphries and Littler then they could secure a remarkable victory on home soil.

He said: “If they do that again, they're going to be tough to beat. What Ricardo and Martin have shown themselves, they can do it against the two best players in the world." Elsewhere, Northern Ireland will take on the Republic of Ireland and Wales face Hong Kong. The Netherlands are also set to take on the Czech Republic.