Italy cheers. © Vanna Antonello/FISG

Larkin is pleased: “We took advantage of our opportunities”

Italy won 4-1 against Poland in their third World Cup match, much to the delight of captain Thomas Larkin.

30 April 2025

From: do

Italy caused a sensation at the World Cup in Division 1 (Group A) on Wednesday afternoon with a crucial and convincing victory. After a weak first period, the Azzurri immediately stepped up their game and handed the Eastern Europeans a 1-4 defeat. Captain Thomas Larkin was willing to share his thoughts in an interview after this third World Cup match.

It must be said that Italy's first period won't win any awards, but perhaps the team's fighting spirit and will to win, which subsequently played significantly better, will. Larkin agreed: "It was a tough game. We controlled the first period, but went into the break 0-1 down. But we always believed in it."

The goal is to continue on the upward trend. © Vanna Antonello/FISG

With truly stunning goals from Daniel Mantenuto and Phil Pietroniero, the Azzurri turned the game around to a 2-1 lead, while Marco Zanetti and Daniel Tedesco sealed the win in the third period: "We played really well in the second period. I'm very pleased with how we handled today's game."

Praise for Fadani

Larkin also had high praise for his goalkeeper Davide Fadani, who made 20 key saves on Wednesday. The captain also praised the team's effectiveness: "Fada played a great game as always and made the difference. We took advantage of our chances in front of the opponent's net, scored a goal on the power play, and our penalty killing was strong. We simply played well."