Cittadella fights to 1-1 draw in Catanzaro.

Cittadella earned its third draw of the season against Catanzaro after an eventful first half on Wednesday night.

The Granata were coming off a 0-3 home defeat to Como, and were looking to bounce back in its midweek clash. Catanzaro has started life in Serie B greatly, having only lost once in its first six games.

Lorenzo Carissoni got Cittadella off to a great start three minutes into the match. The full-back chested down a clearance from the top of the box, and fired a low shot into the corner. This is Carissoni’s first season in Serie B, and now has a goal to his name in the second division.

The lead would only last until the 26th minute, however. Alessio Vita was penalized for a clumsy foul inside the box, allowing Catanzaro to have a chance to equal the scoreline from the penalty spot.

The initial penalty from former-Cittadella striker Alfredo Donnarumma was saved easily by Elhan Kastrati, who stood his ground for a save up the middle. However, upon further review from VAR, the penalty was to be retaken due to Kastrati’s being off his line when the penalty was taken. Donnarumma made no mistake the second time around, leveling the score at 1-1.

It was a hard, difficult game for both sides in the second half. Cittadella struggled to attack, putting only one shot on target after halftime. Catanzaro looked like the dangerous side, having six attempts on goal, which were all saved by Kastrati. The Albanian keeper tallied seven saves on the night.

Cittadella striker Enrico Baldini, who has not played a competitive match in 375 days, made his first appearance of the year, coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute.

The Granata will head back to Veneto and get ready for this Sunday’s afternoon match against newly promoted Lecco.

Top Photo: Francesco Mazzitello/LaPresse