Italy’s Cecilia Zandalasini is not going to earn an acting award in Torino for her horrible acting job down the stretch of Sunday’s FIBA Women’s World Cup game against Team USA at Berlin Arena in Berlin, Germany.
With the Americans holding to a three-point lead with seconds left in regulation and Italy with possession of the leather, Zandalasini tried to get away from the defense of Jackie Young, who was covering her near the top of the 3-point line. Zandalasini tried to fake a shot, but Young didn’t bite.
Desperate to get something going, Zandalasini resorted to her acting skills and provided perhaps the worst and most blatant flop in the tournament thus far.
No foul was called, and play continued, with Zandalasini handing off the ball to a teammate before getting it back for one last shot attempt that didn’t come close to going in.
Here is a video of that entire sequence.
Cecilia Zandalasini wasn't happy she didn't get a foul call on the final play of the gamepic.twitter.com/nao3aDtg5w
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) September 6, 2026
As time expired, an angry Zandalasini turned to a ref and let out all her frustrations. However, it was unclear what she was angry about, considering that Young didn’t touch her at all during Team USA’s successful defensive stand.
Team USA narrowly escaped an upset loss to Italy, coming away with a 55-52 victory, with the game serving as a wake-up call for the heavy favorite to win the tournament.
Young paced Team USA with 10 points, while Zandalasini led all scorers in the contest with 14.
