Italy knew it was going to be tough. Kristall, full of Russian internationals and coached by the impressive Angelo Schirinzi, came out on top against Italy, who thus narrowly missed out on reaching the final of the InterCup.  A fast-paced match finished 7-6 to Kristall after extra-time following a real battle in St. Petersburg.  Goals from Gori (x3), Marinai, Frainetti and Zurlo weren’t enough for Italy, who also missed a penalty (Corosiniti was unlucky from the spot) and fell to defeat seconds before the end as the Russian side scored after being awarded a dubious corner kick.

Head Coach Emiliano Del Duca had this to say: “They started off really well, while we are not yet in a position to have such a physical approach. But as time went on, we showed our quality and gave as good as we got. Our objective ahead of this tournament wasn’t to win it, but to get some minutes in our legs as we look forward to our next commitments. It’s always disappointing to lose, but we haven’t been shown up against teams that, unlike us, don’t stop playing all year round.”