AFI’s Recap of the action from around Europe this past weekend
The 2021 season in Europe continued to roll this past weekend with action in five different countries.
The Austrian Football League featured one game while in Spain, the semifinals were held. Italy’s Division 1 had three games on tap while the season in Hungary kicked off. The Polish Football League had two games on the schedule.
The Swarco Raiders staged a fourth quarter comeback after trailing 14-3 early in the contest to defeat the visiting Prague Black Panthers 22-14 in the only action in the Austrian Football League.
The Milano Seamen played physical football to shut out the Ancona Dolphins 31-0 in the pouring rain in Milan, Italy, snapping the Dolphins unbeaten streak and improving their own record to 2-1.
In the first of two semifinals in the Spanish League of American Football, the Las Rozas Black Demons had no trouble in dismissing the Mallorca Voltors Saturday in Madrid, 49-14 after taking a 28-14 halftime lead.
The Bydgoszcz Archers won their second straight game of the young season in the Polish Football League, defeating the Krakow Kings 29-13. With the win, the Archers rise to the top of the standings in only their second year in the top league in Poland.
In the second semifinal in the Spanish League of American Football, the Badalona Dracs blanked Osos Rivas from Madrid 21-0 in a game that had been predicted to be close. But Osos starting QB Garrett DelleChiaie suffered a hand injury on the very first play of the game and could not return, effectively neutralizing the Osos offense.
The Bialystok Lowlanders, 2020 runners-up in Poland, made their 2021 season debut a memorable one by downing the Warsaw Mets 26-12.
In Italy, the Firenze Guelfi won their first game of the year to improve to 1-2 by downing the Bologna Warriors 41-12.
The Lazio Ducks finally got their first victory in a barn burner, edging the Milano Rhinos 63-62 on the road in Milan. The Rhinos came close, scoring a touchdown with 21 seconds left to close the gap to 63-62. But the last-gasp two-point conversion pass went incomplete.
The defending Hungarian champions, the Fehervar Enthroners opened the season by downing the Gyor Sharks 35-14 after spotting the Sharks a 7-0 lead.
