Italian Floorball Championship A1 2025/26: Matchday 8
- Alessio Casamassima
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
A new year kicks off with Spartak’s first league match. After their thrilling win over Sesto, Milan’s white-and-blues are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive. But on their home turf in Madone, they’ll have to face the top dogs: FC Dragons, currently leading the A1 league and strong contenders for the final title.
The first match of 2026 for the Spartak Milano boys turned out to be tactically fascinating, played with real intensity across all three 20‑minute periods. The Milanese squad looked sharper than usual—focused, brave, and mentally locked in right up to the final minutes, when the Dragons finally delivered the decisive blow.
Saturday, January 17th, 2026
Spartak Milano vs FC Dragons 2-5
On Saturday, January 17th, 2026, at 5:30 PM, the match valid for the Eighth Round of the 25/26 Italian Serie A1 floorball league took place at the Madone Sports Center (BG), on Via Don Giovanni Ruggeri 15. The showdown featured Spartak Milano and FC Dragons.
The final score, 2–5, put a smile on the Dragons’ faces—firmly perched at the top of the standings—but it certainly doesn’t erase one of Spartak Milano’s best performances of the season. The Milan side managed to go toe‑to‑toe with the league leaders for long stretches, proving they can match the very best in Italian floorball.
First Period (0–0): perfect balance between two great teams
From the very first moments, it’s clear that Spartak Milano came into the match with a meticulously crafted game plan. The Milan side chooses to defend high up the court, shrinking the playing area and cutting off the Dragons’ passing lanes. It’s a deliberate tactical choice aimed at disrupting the Dragons’ rhythm and preventing the league leaders from calmly building their play.
FC Dragons respond with intense, highly effective pressing of their own, raising the tempo and forcing mistakes during Spartak’s buildup. The first period quickly turns into a true showcase of modern floorball: duels everywhere, high recoveries, and constant shifts in possession.
The physicality is high, fouls are plentiful (even if FC isn’t 100% “Milano” anymore, that derby atmosphere still lingers), but Spartak holds up well thanks to their goalkeeper’s performance and the presence of several players from Serenissima, who bring experience and stability to a high‑level match. The score stays locked at 0–0, yet the pace and intensity make it clear that the game is far from settled.
One detail stands out above all: the difference in dangerous shots between the two teams. By the end of the first period, Spartak’s goalkeeper Fabio Sicchiero has already logged an impressive 15 mostly decisive saves, while the Dragons’ keeper has just one.
Second Period (0–1): Dragons take the lead, Spartak can’t break through
In the second period, FC Dragons try to assert their status as league leaders, speeding up their ball movement and showcasing their superior technique—especially in how they handle the ball under pressure. Their opening goal arrives within the very first minutes, the result of a quick and well‑crafted offensive play.
Spartak Milano, however, doesn’t back down and refuses to abandon its identity as a team of “gladiators.” They keep defending high, pressing hard, and playing with courage, fully aware that giving too much space to the Dragons would only increase the danger. It’s worth noting, though, that despite their solid defensive structure, the white‑and‑blue champions struggle to sting on the offensive end. Even Davide Brambilla, Spartak’s star striker, can’t quite shine: the rubbery surface in Madone gives him more trouble than usual, though he does manage a few more attempts on goal in this second period against the Dragons’ and National Team’s goalkeeper.
The gap between the two goalkeepers remains striking, and by the end of the match Sicchiero will have made roughly four times as many saves as his counterpart—41 to 11.
Third Period (2–4): Milan fights back but fades in the final minutes
The third period also begins with a sudden goal from the visitors, who double their lead in the 43rd minute and seem ready to steer the match in their direction. But it’s precisely at this moment that Spartak shows everyone why this is one of their best performances of the season.
In less than the blink of an eye, first Zinni and then Fornari bring the match back level with two goals born from their immense skill set.
At 43:45, number 33 completes a powerful coast‑to‑coast run and finishes a perfect counterattack, slotting the ball home thanks to a central assist from veteran Koschitz. Just seven seconds later, number 9 Davide Fornari receives a sharp pass right off the faceoff and unleashes a spectacular long‑range shot to make it 2–2, completing a lightning‑fast comeback that rattles the league leaders and validates Spartak’s tactical approach.
That early exchange makes it clear to everyone that the third period will be played on a razor’s edge. Spartak Milano keeps denying space, staying tight and compact, while FC Dragons respond with constant pressing and a more mature management of the game’s key moments.
This is where the difference in experience and familiarity with top‑level matches begins to show.
At 47:23, the Dragons find the 2–3 goal, capitalizing on a single episode and once again demonstrating their overall quality. Spartak, however, stays in the fight, sticking to their system and continuing to defend high without dropping too deep. In the final minutes, though, Spartak Milano is forced to go all‑in, knowing that a defeat would seriously jeopardize their playoff hopes.
The decision to pull the goalkeeper and play with an extra attacker comes from the need to chase the result, but it also highlights one of the team’s current limits: Spartak still lacks a truly effective “all‑out assault” setup for emergency situations—high‑risk, high‑reward play that isn’t yet in their DNA. The spaces they leave open are exploited with great clarity by FC Dragons, who score twice into the empty net just before the final buzzer, sealing the match at 2–5.
Final: playoffs slip away, but the performance stands tall
The final score doesn’t fully do justice to Spartak Milano, who delivered one of their most solid and convincing performances of this Italian floorball season. The team showed they can compete with the Serie A1 leaders, playing with identity, heart, and impressive tactical discipline.
The results from the other league matches over the weekend—Sterzing beating Sesto Geas and Viking Roma—mathematically rule Spartak out of the A1 playoffs. FC Dragons strengthen their hold on first place, showcasing the technical quality and experience of their national‑team players.
For Spartak Milano, however, this match becomes a true reference point: a game that confirms the group’s growth and lays important foundations for the future of floorball in Milan, proving that the path they’ve chosen is the right one.
Italian Floorball Championship 2025/26 - Matchday 8
SSV DIAMANTE BOLZANO | VIKING ROMA | 10-4 |
SPARTAK MILANO | FC DRAGONS | 2-5 |
STERZING | GEAS U SESTO | 11-3 |
STERZING | VIKING ROMA | 8-7 |
SSV DIAMANTE BOLZANO | GEAS U SESTO | 11-1 |
Watch the goals and highlights from Spartak Milan's Serie A1 match👇
Next stop: January 31st and February 1st in Madone (BG) for the 9th and 10th rounds of the Italian Serie A1 Floorball Championship.
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