Lost points in the final minutes: Cittadella fall for the first time this season.

For nearly 70 minutes, Cittadella were holding onto a 1-0 lead at the Unipol Domus in Sardegna. Having already claimed their first victory of their Serie B campaign last weekend, another three points were looking very real for Edoardo Gorini’s side.

Raul Asencio got the Granata on the scoresheet in the first half from a textbook counter attack. A perfectly weighted ball from Alessio Vita left the Spanish striker within shooting range. Asencio fired near post, scoring his third goal in Cittadella colors. Despite losing the possession battle, Cittadella looked fairly comfortably in all aspects on the pitch.

But in the second half, newly signed Marco Mancosu brought the match level shortly after a fresh pair of substitutions were made by Cittadella. Zito Luvumbo was able to get passed Daniele Donnarumma up the flank, and picked out Mancosu’s free header at the far post.

Cagliari had been pressing all second half, and the Sardinians looked most likely to score the next goal. Just three minutes from the 90, Antoine Makoumbou’s near post effort sent the 14,000 fans into frenzy. Center back Romano Perticone–who was having a great game–mistimed his challenge, allowing Makoumbou to turn into the open space in the box.

While Cagliari were heavy favorites going into the match, the result feels like a much more disappointing for Gorini’s side. Minutes away from what would’ve been an important point on the road turned into the first loss of the 2022/23 season. So how did this happen?

Even with the less number of shots and stats going Cittadella’s way, the team was functioning well. Raul Asencio was making great runs, the high press was causing panic for Cagliari, and the defense kept highly rated striker Gianluca Lapadula quiet for most of the night.

One area that was causing concern, however, was the counter attack from the Casteddu. The quality in transition really showed in the final third, but Cittadella still was able to manage the situations going into halftime.

If there was one thing Cittadella should’ve done, is don’t stop the press and attack. But unfortunately, the second half was the exact opposite.

From the whistle, Cagliari increased the tempo to try to find the back of the net. With 20 minutes to go, Gorini threw on Valerio Mastrantonio for Andrea Danzi, Nicola Pavan for Simone Branca, and Giacomo Beretta for Raul Asencio. Seconds after the substitutions, Cagliari found their game tying goal. With backs against the wall, Cittadella had to deal with a lot of pressure without key players.

Another issue Cittadella were facing was the play on the flanks. Playing with no real wingers, Cagliari were able to bring their fullbacks up the pitch into the attack. And when either Branca or Vita went to press, it left space in the middle to exploit.

The good news for Cittadella is that this is only Matchday 2, and they went toe-to-toe against a promotion contender team away from home. Many lessons are to be learned from this match, and maybe even some ideas for the transfer market as the window nears its closure.

Cittadella return home next Sunday as they face Venezia, in their first meeting since the promotion playoff finals two seasons ago.

Top Photo: Cagliari Calcio