Mensur Suljovic overcame Joe Cullen in a fiery second round clash at the World Darts Championship clash this afternoon, with tempers becoming flared after the Austrian’s victory at Alexandra Palace.

Joe Cullen has been short on form this season, meaning many people fancied Suljovic coming into this game despite being the lower ranked player. Those predictions turned out to have little credence when the Englishman stored to victory in the first set of the match.

However, the tide would soon shift.

Suljovic employed quite a bit of gamesmanship during the contest, taking a long time during each visit in order to disrupt the momentum of his opponents. He also carried out lengthy celebrations on a number of occasions after winning a leg.

The Austrian would win the second and third sets, with Cullen growing increasingly frustrated as the afternoon went on. He would even be warned by the referee about his conduct at one point.

Suljovic would go on to wrap up the game inside four sets, with his opponent clearly unhappy after the conclusion of the contest.

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Englishman Accuses Opponent Of ‘Cheating’ In World Darts Championship Clash

This loss caps off what has been a disappointing year for Joe Cullen, a player many had tipped to be a possible World Championship contender in recent seasons. This is the first time since the 2020 edition that he has failed to reach the third round.

Cullen would take to social media after the game to criticise his opponent, suggesting that his actions on the oche essentially amounted to ‘cheating’.

If that’s darts , I don’t want no part of it!

Always liked Mensur away from the board but that was plain for all to see!

I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way. The old guard will say it’s part of the game but word it how you will – it’s CHEATING!

That’s not darts 😓

— J O E C U L L E N (@rockstar_13_) December 21, 2025

If that’s darts , I don’t want no part of it!

Always liked Mensur away from the board but that was plain for all to see!

I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way. The old guard will say it’s part of the game but word it how you will – it’s CHEATING!

That’s not darts.

There is certainly an element of sour grapes to these comments from Cullen, but he is not the first darts player to complain about Mensur Suljovic’s tactics down through the years.

In any case, they seemed to do the trick on this occasion.

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