Pandolfi haunts Palermo again as Cittadella snatch late victory in Sicily

Lightning strikes twice for Palermo as Cittadella snatch a late victory at the Stadio Renzo Barbera after a 90th minute winner from Luca Pandolfi.

The 26-year-old striker scored in similar fashion last year in Sicily, scoring deep in stoppage time to give the Granata a 0-1 win last November. It happened again on Sunday as Cittadella gets its first win under new coach Alessandro Dal Canto.

“We still remain in a difficult moment, but I’m happy with these three hard-fought points,” Dal Canto said after the game. “In the first half, we tried to respond openly. In the second half, we adjusted our aim. The games revolve around the key moments.”

The win is Cittadella’s third victory at the Stadio Renzo Barbera in club history and fourth overall against the Rosanero. Pandolfi has now scored four goals against Palermo in the past two seasons for Cittadella.

Palermo dominated the first half, creating an expected goals tally of 0.99 going into halftime. Cittadella goalkeeper Elhan Kastrati made seven saves in the game, including four in the opening 45 minutes.

“At a certain point in the first half, we stretched ourselves too much, and this was my fault,” Dal Canto said. “In the second half we fixed everything. It’s normal after the change of the game system that there are still some imperfections. We may not have had any clear chances in the first half compared to them, but at the same time we were organized and the team seemed more solid to me.”

Cittadella’s only shot on target in the second half came on the stroke of stoppage time when Pandolfi fired home his first goal of the season from a tight angle. The striker has now scored three game-winning goals at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, with his first coming in 2020 with Turris and two with Cittadella.

Sunday’s three points ended the Granata‘s seven game winless streak and lifts the team out of the automatic relegation zone in 17th place. Dal Canto’s side will face Cesena next Sunday at 3 p.m. CET before pausing for the November international break.

PHOTO: Giovanni Isolino / LaPresse