World Snooker Championship 2025: Luca Brecel channels inner Ronaldinho with 'outrageous' double fluke against Ryan Day - 'Like it’s an exhibition'

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Luca Brecel is never going to be a shrinking violet at the snooker table, and his showboating skills were on full show in the opening round of the World Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield on Thursday, as he pulled off two flukes in the space of three shots to win a frame. Watch and stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+.

'Playing like it's an exhibition' - Brecel steals frame with astonishing double fluke

Video credit: TNT Sports

Luca Brecel likened himself to football icon Ronaldinho earlier in the week, and there was a touch of the Ronaldinho about his approach against Ryan Day in the first round of the World Championship.

Snooker is a sport of refinement and skill, played out in often deathly silent arenas, but sometimes heavy-metal snooker is the order of the day and Brecel went down that route in frame 12 against Day.

Day had the upper hand in a safety exchange, albeit he was trailing 59-36 on the scoreboard at the time.

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There were enough points for the Welshman to take the frame, and he had Brecel in trouble after playing a snooker.

Brecel has been known to take the unorthodox approach on occasions, especially with his back against the wall, and he channelled his inner Ronaldinho with a hit-and-hope effort.

Ronaldinho may have approached the challenge with a shake of the hips and a step-over or two. Brecel simply threw his cue at the white in search of making contact with the yellow.

He did more than make contact, as the white thundered into the yellow and sent it slamming into the green pocket.

Summing up the moment on commentary for TNT Sports, Phil Yates said: "How does Ryan Day feel? He [Brecel] has just got down and whacked it in."

For good measure, Brecel landed nicely on the green, which he potted to leave a disgruntled Day requiring a snooker.

The frame was not safe, as the brown was tight on the baulk line and Brecel again found himself in a snooker.

'This is a world of hurt!' - Brecel's amazing shot traps yellow and black

Video credit: TNT Sports

Take Two was the message, as Brecel smashed the white in the direction of the brown off one cushion. Contact was made and the brown careered into the left middle, before Yates even had a chance to finish his summary of the wild pot of the yellow.

"If you are putting together a compilation of the most outrageous flukes from this year’s championship that [yellow] would have to be in it," Yates said.

"And so would the brown," Yates continued, admittedly with his decibel level slightly inflated after seeing another fluke find a pocket.

Brecel finished off with a bit of showboating on the blue and pink, to which Yates said: "He’s playing like it’s an exhibition, and it’s the first round of the World Championship."

Luca, Ronaldinho would be very proud.

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Watch and stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+

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