World Snooker Championship LIVE: Score and result as Luca Brecel holds off Mark Selby to win maiden title

Luca Brecel withstood a stirring fightback from Mark Selby to clinch a dramatic 18-15 victory and become the first player from mainland Europe to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.

Five previous visits to the famous venue had yielded no success for Brecel but, having clawed back outlandish deficits to sink both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui in the previous rounds, he switched roles to fend off a late surge by the four-time champion.

Snooker – and Belgium – have a new star after the 28-year-old beat Mark Selby in the World Championship final, writes Lawrence Ostlere at the Crucible:

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Watch the winning moment as Brecel claims his maiden world title:

So there you have it - another World Championships in the books and what a tournament it has been. Two 147s, play-stopping protests, the rise of Si Jiahui and at the end of it all, the triumph of the mercurial Luca Brecel.

He wins a captivating final against Mark Selby - full of twists and turns, quality strokemaking and drama that had us all on the edge of our seats.

It was nervy at points in that evening session but you can’t deny that Brecel deserved that. His play yesterday and his superb performance this afternoon laid the foundations for a historic world title.

Mainland Europe has their first world champion and snooker has a new star.

“It’s amazing, I can’t see any more, I don’t know why.

“[It was] so tough, he’s the worst opponent to have in a final, he just keeps coming back, he’s such a fighter, when it was 16-15 I didn’t fancy winning at all, I was missing balls by a mile but then I made a good break.

“Snooker is a difficult sport, in the first round I could have lost to Ricky Walden but I won 10-9. If I’d have lost that game everyone would be saying ‘oh he’s lost again’ and now I’m the winner so it’s small margins in snooker, it’s crazy.

“I really have the best team, best friends, best parents and best girlfriend in the world which makes me strong on the table, if you don’t have that team it’s difficult to play the best game.

“I won’t practice for a couple of weeks or months, just going to enjoy this. It’s been a crazy week - no practice just partying - it shouldn’t be legal!”

On snooker in Belgium: “It’s going to explode, I was so nervous because I just wanted it to happen for Belgium and Europe and now I can’t wait to see what it brings to the world - I’m so happy, I don’t know how I did it.”

“Congratulations to Luca, he’s a great talent and a great lad, a great family. Enjoy the year, you deserve it mate, you played fantastic.

On his 147 maximum break yesterday: “It was great to make a 147 at the Crucible, it was something I always wanted to do. I never thought I would do it in a final, the atmosphere was amazing last night was amazing and something I will remember for rest of my life.

“But it’s not about me today, Luca played fantastic.

“Every time he got a chance, he looked like he was going to win the frame in one visit. It was tough - I battled to get back to 16-15, had a smelly were I was pushing into the red. If I potted that, I would have felt comfortable and if I got back to 16-16 then it could have been a different story.”

Selby 15-18 Brecel

Brecel is full of emotion as his accomplishment sets in. What an achievment and what a triumph. He hadn’t won at The Crucible before this year but now his name is being etched into the history books.

There were moments in this final session when it looked like it was all going to unravel for the swashbuckling Belgian but he has responded emphatically.

A marvellous 112 break ends as he misses on the yellow but it matters not because he has done it...Luca Brecel wins the frame and he is the champion of the world!

A couple more reds and blacks down and the lead stretches to 55. 91 points remaining on the table.