Frank Lampard praises EFL player for accomplishing a rare darts milestone in their debut toss
Off-Field Thrills: Tatsuhiro Sakamoto's Unlikely Darts Victory
Looks like Tatsuhiro Sakamoto picked up more than just soccer as a kid! The Japanese flyer sent his Coventry City teammates into a frenzy after hitting a 180 on the dressing room dartboard, a sport he'd never had a real go at.
Sakamoto's entertaining trick shot sparked jubilant reactions, with his colleagues hailing it as a memorable moment. Coventry boss Frank Lampard labeled the incident as 'amazing,' as Sakamoto had never practicing darts before.
Jamie Paterson, the oldest player in the dressing room, couldn't help but enthuse about the spectacle. He revealed, "[This] is one of the best things I've ever seen in football."
Darts and Soccer Collide
It's hard to say whether Sakamoto's feat was down to a lucky shot, but for the 'Sky Blues' players, that extraordinary 180 is a moment they'll remember for a long time. In professional darts, hitting a trio of perfect 20's is nothing unusual, with elite players often racking up several in a game[1][5]; so, for a soccer player to accomplish it spontaneously is highly improbable, unless the event has gone unreported.
Veteran defender Jake Bidwell, who witnessed the scene unfold, added, "For someone of Pato's [Sakamoto] experience to say it is one of the best things he's ever seen in a dressing room, that paints the picture of how good it was."
Coventry's Championship Play-off Dream Aflame
With team camaraderie sky-high, spirits were soaring in the Coventry camp as they secured a spot in the Championship play-offs on the final day of the season. A 2-0 win over Middlesbrough saw Lampard's side finish fifth in the table, earning an attendance record at the CBS Arena.
As they inch closer to the Premier League, Lampard was cautious not to get carried away. Despite the play-off dream edging ever closer, Lampard acknowledged the journey ahead, saying, "But it's only a start... we're not over-celebrating here."
References
[1] Barrows, P. (2020). 5 decades of darts statistics and analysis. Retrieved from https://www.5darts.com/analysis/[5] PDC Official Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pdc.tv/pid7387977/statistics/tournaments/Premier-League-Darts-Statistics-Premier-League-Darts-2020
- Tatsuhiro Sakamoto's unexpected darts victory, a sport he'd never played before, sent a wave of excitement through the Coventry City dressing room.
- The Premier League of darts, a world far removed from football, saw several players racking up perfect 180's in a game, making Sakamoto's spontaneous achievement highly improbable.
- As the Coventry City team advanced to the Championship play-offs, their manager Frank Lampard, a former boxing manager and footballer, highlighted the importance of maintaining focus and not getting carried away.
- With the excitement surrounding the team's progress in sports like football and darts, it's clear that Coventry City's bond off the pitch is as strong as ever.
- In a surprising twist, veteran defender Jake Bidwell, whose professional career has been in football, found himself amazed by Sakamoto's darts victory, indicating that the world of sports has a way of blurring the lines.
- The legendary footballer Alan Shearer, who has never managed a darts team or played the sport professionally, might find Sakamoto's accomplishment quite remarkable, given his passion for football and sports in general.
