Cittadella one point from safety after Südtirol draw.

Cittadella held on for a 1-1 draw against Südtirol on Saturday, putting them just one point from assuring safety from relegation.

The draw puts Edoardo Gorini’s side on 42 points in 15th place, two points ahead of 16th Cosenza, who drew on Saturday as well against Ascoli. Thanks to a superior goal difference, the Granata know a draw against Como next Friday will mathematically clinch them safety in the division, barring a gargantuan win by Cosenza against Cagliari.

Gorini’s team started the match well against a difficult Südtirol team, who had only conceded 31 goals prior to the match. Despite having less possession, it was the hosts who came closest to opening the scoring in the first half, when Simone Mazzocchi’s header flashed just wide of the post off a deflected cross.

Cittadella’s patience was rewarded shortly following halftime, when Mirko Antonucci struck home his 11th goal of the season after a clever back heel pass from Giuseppe Ambrosino.

As it stood for about 20 minutes following the goal, Cittadella were mathematically saved with both Cosenza and Brescia not winning their respective games. However, it all changed in the 70th minute when Raphael Odogwu scored an incredible goal inside his own box. The Südtirol leading goalscorer popped the ball up from a cross, and smashed home the equalizer for the Tirolesi.

Odogwu should’ve had the winner on the stroke of the 90 minutes, as the ball fell nicely to the striker with space inside the penalty area. It wasn’t meant to be, as he skied a wonderful opportunity to win it.

Late into stoppage time, Cittadella thought they had a chance to win the match after the referee awarded the Granata a penalty for a foul on Tommy Maistrello. After a quick VAR review, however, the decision was overturned, denying Cittadella the chance.

It’s a draw that doesn’t entirely fit each teams’ ambitions, but Cittadella will no doubt feel the better of the two teams. Gorini and co know that they just need a point at home on Friday against an already-safe Como team, who now have a slim chance of clinching promotion playoffs.

Even with a loss on Friday, Cittadella could still be safe as long as Cosenza don’t beat Cagliari at home.

Top Photo: Emilio Bordoni/LaPresse