Italian Floorball Championship A1 2025/26: Matchdays 4 and 5
- Alessio Casamassima
- Nov 18
- 5 min read
Still with zero points in the standings, the Milanese team is looking for redemption in a difficult away match in South Tyrol: against Diamante Bolzano and Sterzing, Spartak Milano is looking for its first victory in an increasingly competitive Italian Floorball Championship.
On a gloomy November weekend, Spartak Milano took to the field with its usual mix of youth and experience, with the additions of Elia Marinello, Patrizio Beccarini, and Serena Benetollo, as well as the debut of Mattia Rovoletto, another promising youngster from Firelions Serenissima. Bolzano and Vipiteno have always been tough teams for Milano, which struggles with their physicality and highly technical play. But let's see how it went.
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Sterzing vs Spartak Milano 11-9
What a shame! There's no better way to describe the first of two games Spartak Milan faced in this two-day Italian Floorball Championship. A shame, yes, because the Milanese team played a splendid match against Sterzing, at least for the first two quarters, in which they held control of the game throughout and constantly put their opponents in trouble. Coach Giuzzi opted for a very experienced and "dribble-handling" front line for this match, with veterans Beccarini, Marinello, and Brambilla dictating the pace, well supported in defense by the ever-present Serena and in attack by the young and lethal Davide Fornari.
In the first half, the game was still evenly matched, with the two teams trading blows. As usual, the blue-and-white number 14 took center stage: finally taking advantage of a faster surface better suited to his abilities, Brembol was able to showcase his full repertoire, scoring some fine goals with precise long-range shots. Sterzing was unable to break through, scoring the first goal on an unfortunate own goal by Marinello. But it was in the second half that Spartak began to play top-notch floorball. Finally comfortable with their new 2-1-2 formation, the Milanese team quickly took an 8-3 lead, and Sterzing seemed to be on the ropes. All the goals came from precise, quick playmaking moves: Mattia Rovoletto also took pride of place, scoring his first goal on his Serie A1 debut with a precise first-time shot. Just when the game seemed under control, the irreparable happened. Taking advantage of a typical slump in the white-and-blues' performance toward the end of the second half, Vipiteno increased the pressure and, in their eagerness to recover one of their attackers, crashed into Luigi Zinni. The white-and-blue number 33, finding his opponent with all his weight on his legs, kicked him off the ground to avoid damaging his left knee. The reaction wasn't violent, but unfortunately the gesture was too dramatic to go unnoticed. The referees showed Zinni the red card, and within minutes Spartak found itself with a penalty and without one of its best players. Vipiteno, who had already sensed Milan's decline, stepped up the pace and began a desperate comeback that materialized in the third period.
Spartak Milan was unable to react, and despite a strong performance from the second line, deprived of Zinni, they played a terrible end to the game. The final collapse severely penalized the white-and-blue team, which had nevertheless shown marked improvement compared to previous matches and a focus finally worthy of the A1 Championship. But that's floorball: an unpredictable game where you can lose a match you've already won in a matter of minutes.
Sunday, November 16, 2025
SSV Diamante Bolzano vs Spartak Milano 12-2
Still reeling from the shock of Luigi Zinni's dismissal against Vipiteno (it should be noted that Zinni also suffered a knee injury on that occasion, which will be evaluated in the coming days), the white-blues take to the field on Sunday morning against one of the favorites to win the Italian Floorball Championship.
Diamante is, in fact, a solid team that, in addition to its physique and experience, consistently manages to display excellent technique and organization. Despite the difference in skill between the two teams, in the first half, Spartak Milano displayed orderly and precise floorball. Besides the Marinello-Brembol duo, the Milanese defense was particularly impressive: Serena and Beccarini, true gladiators, never lost a challenge and, almost always playing ahead, managed to contain the opposing attackers' rushes.
The first half ended 1-1, and the scoreboard confirmed the two teams were essentially even. Spartak's goal came from Brembol, assisted by number 99 Riki Ripamonti. In the second half, however, things changed: Bolzano, with high pressure and quick passing, forced Spartak to the ropes, and, pinned down in their own penalty area, they seemed unable to react. A particularly inspired Casamassima kept things afloat: thanks in part to a fairly organized defense, the blue-and-white goalkeeper repeatedly blocked the opposition's shots with often unorthodox saves. But the defense ultimately failed to hold, and once again, an incident complicated the Milanese game. Toward the end of the second half, Bolzano was awarded a penalty, which was later converted, marking the end of Milan's strenuous resistance. Diamante took the lead, and thanks in part to Fornari's 10-minute penalty in the third period, Spartak ended the game in the worst possible way. In the final six minutes, Milan removed their goalkeeper and conceded three more goals without ever managing to capitalize on their numerical superiority. The final ten-goal deficit doesn't do justice to Spartak Milan's strong performance, which for a good half of the match was on equal terms with one of the strongest teams in the Italian league. Proof of this is the fact that, in addition to the excellent Beccarini for Spartak, the young goalkeeper was named Bolzano's MVP at the end of the match, having made several key saves and been spared from Brembol's penalty miss.
Spartak returns to Milan with two heavy defeats, zero points in the standings, and a great deal of disappointment, but not enough to erase the positives seen in over half of the two matches. Spartak Milan showed heart, order, and courage against formidable opponents, only giving in when their energy—physical and mental—waned. And in the end, paradoxically, the most faithful image of the weekend for the white-and-blue players was found in the locker room: a sudden, sharp, and icy shower, identical to the one that Vipiteno and Bolzano poured upon the white-and-blues in both games. A shower that wakes you up, stings, but perhaps will help them come back stronger.
Italian Floorball Championship 2025/26 - Matchdays 4 and 5
STERZING | SPARTAK MILANO | 11-9 |
GEAS SESTO | VIKING ROMA | 6-9 |
SSV DIAMANTE BOLZANO | FC DRAGONS | 3-7 |
SSV DIAMANTE BOLZANO | SPARTAK MILANO | 12-2 |
STERZING | FC DRAGONS | 0-7 |
The next match is on November 30th, away to Rome for the fifth day of the Italian Floorball Championship Serie A1.
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