- Elsewhere in the first round, Michael van Gerwen defeated Luke Littler 10-6
- Anderson appeared unhappy with the jeering Scotland fans as he indicated ‘2-1’
Gary Anderson’s attempt to excite England fans over their 2-1 defeat to Spain on Sunday night backfired when the Scot found himself lost to Michael Smith.
England were left empty-handed thanks to goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal as La Roja became European champions for the fourth time.
Much to the chagrin of Three Lions supporters, Anderson challenged the score by holding up his hands to make it 2-1 during the World Matchplay Darts.
However, moments later Anderson lost 10-5 to Michael Smith, who managed to win the match after a slow start.
Smith fought back from a 3-0 deficit against Anderson in a clash between the former world champions.
Gary Anderson ridiculed England fans on Sunday night over Spain’s victory in the 2024 European Championship final
Luke Littler also suffered a first round defeat, losing 10-6 to Michael van Gerwen
Remarkably, Smith won seven legs in a row to lead 7-3. Anderson seemed unhappy with the mocking reactions from some fans towards Scotland, so he gave the signal ‘2-1’.
Smith, whose best result was second at the 2019 Matchplay, was in incredible form, losing just two more legs.
Elsewhere that evening, Michael van Gerwen defeated Luke Littler 10-6 in a highly anticipated first round clash.
In the tenth meeting between the two, Van Gerwen proved his critics wrong, after a series of disappointing performances this year.
Van Gerwen was visibly emotional after the match as he denied Littler a first victory on his debut at the Winter Gardens.
The Dutchman will now face Joe Cullen in the second round in his battle for tournament victory.