Back on track: Cittadella hammer Frosinone 3-0

Two huge back-to-back wins for Cittadella keep them alive in the playoff mix. Goals from Giacomo Beretta and Mamadou Tounkara in the first half gets the job done.

It’s all smiles at the Tombolato thanks to a convincing 3-0 thrashing over Frosinone on Sunday afternoon. Some great link up play between Beretta and Tounkara earned Cittadella three points, something that hasn’t been done at home since December.

There was excitement generated from the midweek when the Granata earned a priceless win against Lecce. The same energy was needed for Frosinone, a historically difficult team to beat.

Cittadella had to do all of this without head coach Edoardo Gorini, who was ejected from the Lecce match for dissent. Roberto Musso took control of this game for the third time this season. Musso made six changes to the Lecce win, including a new backline as well as fresh legs in the midfield. Simone Branca made his return to the pitch as well, and boy did Cittadella miss him!

The front two, Beretta and Tounkara, had a lot to prove for fans and the club in general. Tounkara, who scored his first league goal during the week, had to continue his scoring streak in place of Orji Okwonkwo. Beretta on the other hand was finally starting to get going, now scoring three goals in his last three starts.

Determined, Beretta found himself alone as he pounced on a deflected shot following a free kick. His award for being quickest to react payed off, as he poked the ball through the legs of Federico Ravaglia.

Just five minutes later, this time it was Mamadou Tounkara to react quickly to the loose ball. A poor back-pass from Adrian Barisic made way for the ex-Lazio man to get 1 v 1 with Ravaglia. Despite missing on the first attempt on goal, Tounkara made no mistake about his second effort, and gave Cittadella an important 2-0 lead with 25 minutes played.

This time Cittadella did a great job of battling in the midfield. They did not allow Frosinone to control the center of the park, and some great defensive work led by Dario Del Fabro and Domenico Frare help close out the half.

Just before halftime, however, Cittadella’s afternoon got 10 times better. The third goal was by far the best one of the day, and what a team goal it was. Mirko Antonucci and Ignacio Varela worked their way up the right side, before finding an open Tounkara. With Beretta making the run, the striker served a delicious ball into the box, where Beretta netted his brace off a brilliant guided header. Cittadella were running rampant going into halftime, and the win seemed guaranteed.

The second half didn’t nearly match the same intensity and quality of the first, but did show some positive signs from the Granata‘s performance. Frosinone came out looking for a quick goal to rattle some Cittadella nerves. Close chances from Alessio Zerbin and Gabriel Charpentier forced Elhan Kastrati into action, but Cittadella’s defense stood tall.

As the game went on, Frosinone began to get frustrated. Chances kept coming, but Kastrati was rarely in deep trouble. Cittadella substitute Camillo Tavernelli impressed and caused headaches for Frosinone’s back line, despite only playing 15 minutes. A quick aggressive attacker, Tavernelli knows how to turn on the jets, and nearly created a goal off a quick move in midfield. The ball eventually went out for a goal kick, but it showed Tavernelli is useful when coming off the bench.

On a brace and a potential man of the match performance, Beretta had the opportunity to burry his hat trick with minutes remaining. A ball slipped in behind fell to the feet of the striker, and had one vision in that moment. Like Tounkara’s goal, Beretta tried to round Ravaglia, but this time the keeper did well to deny any more humiliation.

A professional and complete performance all around from Cittadella. It’s the kind of football we want to see week in week out. It’s a much needed confidence booster to Tounkara and Beretta, as we hope to see them improve even more from here. Two huge wins in a matter of days gets Granata fans believing once again that promotion is not that far away.

With February officially closing, Cittadella now set their attention to March, and already have a busy task ahead of them. First, they travel to Ferrara on Wednesday for a reunion with former coach Roberto Venturato. Then next weekend, we’re back at the Tombolato to face Monza for the seventh time in two seasons.

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