New singings Okwonkwo and Tounkara impress in Coppa Italia win

Cittadella wins their first competitive match of the season, beating AC Monza at the Tombolato Saturday evening. A thrilling match in the heat, the new signings made in the summer proved to be the difference between the two.

Orji Okwonkwo got the start up front alongside Enrico Baldini. The striker from Nigeria played with lots of energy and enthusiasm. In the eighth minute, a long ball by Davide Adorni put the striker in great position, rounding Di Gregorio and slotting the ball into an empty net.

With goals being scored in preseason with the Granata, Okwonkwo certainly proved his worth in the match. His speed up top is what Cittadella can thrive on, and is what opposing defenses struggle with. While on loan from Bologna, it’s a great start to the Cittadella life for Orji. An injury midway through the first half was a worrying sign after he had seemed to go down after another long ball. An un-contact injury, head coach Edoardo Gorini spoke about Okwonkwo’s injury after the match.

“Okwonwko has an inflammation of the patellar tendon, we will do everything possible to try to recover it.” said Gorini, who got his first win as a head coach. We hope everything is ok for Orji, as he is needed in the upcoming weeks in league play.

Coming in for the Nigerian just before the 30th minute, Mamadou Tounkara did exceptionally well in his first home match for Cittadella. His goal came roughly twelve minutes after coming on.

Mirko Antonucci received the ball the the right hand side, falling down and seemly about to lose possession. He used his body to shield off the Monza defenders, and managed to get a good cross off near post, where Tounkara had made the run. It was an easy finish for the substitute, and an important goal as Monza started to control the game at that time.

Throughout the second half, Tounkara did a fantastic job of causing problems for the visitors backline. With seconds from the kickoff, Tounkara found himself 1 v 1 against the keeper. He just miss hit his shot, as it bounced off the post.

Tounkara thought he had scored his brace. It was a wonderful pass from Enrico Baldini over the top. Tounkara, using his strength, held the defenders coming in, and just got enough to poke it past Di Gregorio. A debatable call, the referee ruled the goal back due to Tounkara barely being in an offside position. Despite this, Tounkara worked hard to finish the job. His hold up play and runs were hurting the Monza defense.

Other debutants gave a great first showing. Mirko Antonucci did all the work in Cittadella’s second goal, providing an assist from a hard situation. Andrea Danzi got the start as center defensive mid and put in 65 minutes. Though quiet, the entire midfield looked solid today, as for parts of the match the middle of the pitch was won by the Granata.

Two goals from two new summer signings is giving optimism for the upcoming season. It’s great to start off winning, as it increases the locker room morale and boosts confidence. Cittadella get the job done on a hot, summer evening and advance to the next round. They will play Serie A side Cagliari in Sardinia come December, with Sassuolo in sights. In one week the team is back at the Tombolato again for league action against Vicenza. The match is scheduled for August 21st at 2:30pm EST.