Chaotic final minutes puts Cittadella Women out of promotion contention
On May 21, 2023 by Jake IovineDespite snatching a late draw against league leading Napoli with a player less, Cittadella Women are eliminated from reaching Serie A Femminile with one game to go.
Cittadella knew they needed to get a result in order to stay alive in the promotion race. Trailing Lazio by three points and Napoli by four in the penultimate match of the season, a loss would end any chances of Cittadella in Serie A Femminile next year.
It was the Granata who took an early lead through midfielder Veronica Benedetti, who tucked her shot into the net after Napoli were caught outnumbered inside the box where Benedetti was waiting.
Cittadella were also hopeful of results elsewhere, as Hellas Verona took the lead against Lazio before the team from the capital equalized later on. As it stood at halftime, the Granata remained in 3rd, but were determined to take the promotion battle to the final day.
Napoli amped up the pressure in the second half, with the Azzurre coming close on a number of occasions from Antonia Dulcic and Elisa Del Estal.
The hosts found their goal to break Cittadella hearts five minutes from the end, after Del Estal smashed a loose ball into the net as the Granata failed to clear the ball.
In the mist of the celebrations, Cittadella would be reduced to 10 players after goalkeeper Ilaria Toniolo received a straight red card for dissent. Napoli went ahead on the stroke of stoppage time when Giulia Ferrandi’s hopeful shot from long range looped over backup keeper Martina Nucera. With Lazio drawing, the result meant Napoli would be promoted directly if they held on.
Out of nowhere, Cittadella found the equalizer from a long distance free kick by Laura Peruzzo, who caught Napoli keeper Matilde Copetti off guard. Peruzzo gave the Granata one last hope minutes after Napoli took the lead, but it wasn’t enough in the end as the match came to a close.
It was a wild match that had all the drama you can think of. Despite earning the draw, the result means Cittadella cannot catch 2nd place Lazio via head-to-head tiebreaker, thus eliminating them a chance at promotion to Serie A Femminile.
The Granata look to lock up 3rd place next Sunday when they host Sassari Torres on the final day of the season in Tombolo.
Top Photo: Cittadella Women/Facebook
