Shared points under the heavy rain on Sunday night.

The first draw of Cittadella’s 2022/23 season comes at home against Venetian rivals Venezia, who played in a 1-1 draw under heavy rain Sunday night.

With both teams level on points heading into the night, a win for either side would be massive going into the month of September. Both sides will have to settle for a point a piece on a soggy pitch.

But out of the two teams, Venezia will feel far more happier with the draw. Edoardo Gorini and his Cittadella side dominated majority of the game, racking 16 shots to Venezia’s 9, and having the far better of the match than the Arancioneroverdi.

As the rain and wind came rolling into the match, so did Cittadella and their chances in the final third. The Granata strangled Venezia in their own half for large parts of the first half, and feel that they should’ve been on the board early on. Forward Raul Asencio–who has scored in his last three matches–had two clear headers in front of Jesse Joronen’s net, but the strikers efforts went just wide and hit the crossbar on one occasion.

Throughout the first 45′, Cittadella kept Venezia’s attack at bay, and didn’t allow any major chances for Finnish international Joel Pohjanpalo. Despite all the good play, both sides were even at the break.

Though Venezia started to grow into the match after halftime, the Granata eventually found their goal they deserved through Mirko Antonucci. The midfielder had no issues putting the ball into the net after Asencio’s shot was blocked by Joronen, which saw an empty net for Antonucci to pounce.

The rain was relentless, and the field was starting to show the effect of the water. With five minutes left in the 90′, Venezia found their equalizer through a good buildup from the right hand flank towards the box. Domen Crnigoj’s shot was blocked but spilled right to Michael Cuisance for an easy finish.

Venezia earn a point thanks to a late goal, just like last weekend against Sudtriol. Cittadella and Gorini will feel disappointed that they couldn’t hold on for all three points, and after having majority of the game under their grasp. However, a lot of positives can be taken away from the first three league games for the Granata. Four points from three difficult fixtures with Pisa, Cagliari, and Venezia wasn’t an easy task to start the year, yet Cittadella has shown they are capable of playing with the top teams in the league.

It’s now two back-to-back games where Cittadella have lost points from a winning position, and have also given up two goals past the 80th minute. A point can still be a solid one down the stretch, even if this feels like a lost one.

Cittadella are back in action next Saturday at the Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca, where they’ll play league leaders Ascoli.

Top Photo: AS Cittadella