Italy men complete perfect group stage as women bow out fighting in Düsseldorf

Italy’s men completed a perfect group stage with a tense 34-31 victory over France on Friday, while the Italian women produced a vastly improved performance but were eliminated following a 14-12 defeat to powerhouse Mexico at the IFAF World Flag Football Championships.

Italy men complete perfect group stage

After opening the tournament with wins over Great Britain and Panama, the reigning European champion Italian men entered their final Group D game already assured of a place in the quarterfinals. Their meeting with France nevertheless carried considerable importance, with first place in the group and a more favorable route through the knockout stage at stake.

Quarterback Luke Zahradka and his deep group of receivers once again delivered. Jared Gerbino scored Italy’s opening touchdown before Jordan Bouah added another, with Bouah also converting a pair of two-point attempts. Vincent Papale caught two touchdowns, including a crucial second-half score that helped Italy regain some breathing room.

France pushes Italy to the finish

France refused to go away. Damien Sabatino kept finding answers, and Anthony Moigne’s late touchdown cut Italy’s advantage to three points with just under three minutes remaining. The Italians then successfully managed the final possession, using short completions and runs to exhaust the remaining time.

Italy finished the group stage 3-0, having scored 100 points while conceding 79. Zahradka’s command of the offense and the number of options available to him remain Italy’s greatest strengths. Gerbino, Papale, Bouah and Austin Albericci have all made significant contributions, making it difficult for opponents to concentrate on any one target.

Italy responds when pressure rises

The performance against France was not flawless. Italy surrendered five touchdowns and failed to create a defensive takeaway, while Zahradka threw an interception shortly before halftime. France remained within one score for most of the game and had an opportunity to steal it late.

Still, Italy repeatedly responded whenever the pressure increased. The composure shown in closing out a one-score game was further evidence that the European champions belong among the leading contenders in Düsseldorf.

Germany awaits in quarterfinals

Their reward is a quarterfinal against Germany on Saturday. The host nation finished second in Group C and will present another difficult European test, but Italy enters the knockout round unbeaten and with an offense capable of matching any team in the tournament. A victory would place the Italians one win away from the medal games and keep alive their bid to improve upon their quarterfinal finish at the 2024 World Championships.

Italy women push Mexico to the limit

For Italy’s women, the outcome was more painful.

Following Thursday’s heavy 53-22 loss to Germany, the Italians needed a victory over unbeaten Mexico to retain any realistic chance of advancing. Instead of being overwhelmed by one of the tournament favorites, however, Italy pushed the world’s top-ranked team to the final possession.

Mexico quarterback Diana Flores eventually broke through late in the first half, finding Monica Rangel for the game’s opening touchdown. Italy answered on the final play before halftime when Andrea Ferro Avolese connected with Aleksandra Radisavljević, leaving the Azzurre only one point behind at 7-6.

Italy stays within striking distance

Rangel scored again early in the second half to stretch Mexico’s lead to 14-6, but Italy continued to battle. Margherita Germinetti’s touchdown reduced the deficit to two, giving the Italians more than ten minutes to find a winning score.

Italy moved the ball into Mexican territory during the closing minutes, with Alice Fimiani, Lucia Mastellone and Radisavljević all contributing catches. The drive ultimately stalled, allowing Mexico to escape with a 14-12 victory and complete an unbeaten group stage.

Defense slows explosive Mexico offense

Renate Jirjena provided Italy’s biggest defensive moment with a first-half interception of Flores. The defense also held an explosive Mexican offense—which scored 91 points in its first two games—to only 14. That response, coming less than 24 hours after the difficult loss to Germany, demonstrated the resilience of Jonathan Homer’s team.

Italy finished third in Group A at 1-2 and missed the quarterfinals, with Mexico and Germany advancing. The decisive damage was done in the loss to the Germans rather than against Mexico.

Azzurre show how far they have come

Nevertheless, the narrow defeat represented a marked improvement from the countries’ meeting at the 2024 World Championships in Finland, where the Mexican women dipped Italy like nachos in a 45-6 rout.

Two years later, Italy held the same opponent to 14 points and remained within one score until the final possession. Düsseldorf therefore ends in disappointment for the Azzurre, but also with compelling evidence that they have significantly narrowed the gap separating them from the world’s elite.

For the men, the pursuit of a world medal continues. For the women, the tournament ends earlier than they hoped, but with a performance against Mexico that provides a far more encouraging picture of their progress than the final standings alone suggest.