18 years ago: Cittadella and Napoli battle it out in front of 50,000

It’s unusual to see massive crowds for a Serie C match, given the stadiums are usually smaller and can’t fit many people inside. But it was a different story in 2004, when Napoli smashed home attendance records for the third division of Italian football.

Before the start of the 2004/05 season, Napoli declared bankruptcy, which led film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis to buy and rename the club to “Napoli Soccer”. Under new ownership, Gli Azzurri would restart in Serie C1, the third division of the Italian footballing pyramid.

In just their third match in the De Laurentiis era, Napoli Soccer faced Cittadella on Matchday 3 at the then-called Stadio San Paolo. Over 50,000 fans made their way to the match, a number never seen before in the third division.

But it was Cittadella who silenced the crowd just four minutes in, after Davide Carteri’s glancing header found the back of the net to give the Granata the perfect start. Napoli would respond four minutes later when Giovanni Ignoffo’s near post shot leveled the score at 1-1.

Napoli’s press payed off in the 27th minute as they took the lead. Alberto Savino put the ball past Cittadella goalkeeper Tommaso Peresson to fire Gli Azzurri into the lead. It would get worse for Cittadella as Napoli added their third goal in the opening 30 minutes through Toledo’s effort dribbling through traffic.

Napoli–along with the 50,000 fans at the San Paolo–were enjoying a 3-1 lead at halftime, and looked on course to claim their second victory of the season.

However, not even five minutes after the break, Cittadella pulled within a goal. A thunderbolt from Massimiliano Giacobbo following an indirect set piece put the score at 3-2.

Cittadella coach Rolando Maran then subbed on Joachim De Gasperi in the 57th minute, hoping to find the equalizer. Maran’s wish was fulfilled 11 minutes after the substitution as Cittadella leveled the match. A great link up play saw Alberto Marchesan find De Gasperi in front of goal, where the striker made no mistake in front of goal.

That draw would prove important for the Granata, as they would avoid relegation that season by two points. For Napoli, they would go onto finish in 3rd, but miss out on promotion after losing in the playoff final to Avellino.

Cittadella earned a point in front of a record breaking crowd in Napoli, and a match that is still remembered today for many reasons. It was the start of the De Laurentiis era for Napoli, in which now they are currently fighting for the Serie A title and participating in the Champions League. The match still remains today as the highest attended match for a Cittadella game.