Last October, defending champion Italy clinched a semifinal berth in the 2023 IFAF European Championship with a clutch 28–23 win over Great Britain. That semifinal will now be played against Team Austria, one of the competitions favorites each year.
This is definitely a grudge match. Italy defeated Austria in group play in the last IFAF European Championships, eliminating the Austrians from contention and went on to win the title.
Offense
As usual, the Italian offense is stacked with weapons all over the field. Italian-American Luke Zahradka will once again be quarterbacking the national team after a number of impressive performances in the European League of Football (ELF) this year. He will be joined by the wily veteran Michael Gentili and the electric Jordan Bouah, who has been lighting up the ELF with the Vienna Vikings.
Defense
The defense will be anchored by linebackers Alex Ferrari and Kevin Khay who have both taken their respective teams to Italian championships. Parma Panthers import Ryan Minniti, who has just come off an Italian Bowl championship win, will be shoring up the backend and offer some much-needed leadership.
Watch the game live. Team Italy @ Team Austria, Aug. 6, 17:00 CET (5 pm, 11 am EDT)
