Cittadella battles for draw after Cesena second half pressure
On January 12, 2025 by Jake IovineCittadella earned its first draw on the road this season as the Granata held Cesena goalless at the Orogel Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The result extends Cittadella’s unbeaten streak to five games, which is the most so far this season. Alessandro Dal Canto’s side picks up 11 points in the last five league games: a tally only surpassed by Sassuolo with 12 points.
“We are happy with the draw and the performance against a very strong team,” Dal Canto said in his postgame interview. “We learned from the mistakes in November’s loss, now we are more solid. In the last month, the team has grown a lot which is thanks to the positive results collected.”
Dal Canto’s men came close to opening the scoring in the first half when Francesco Amatucci met a weak shot by Edoardo Masciangelo, but his effort could only find the hands of American goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann.
Cesena came alive in the second half, outshooting Cittadella 7-4 after halftime. Serie B leading goalscorer Cristian Shpendi found space inside the box in the 53rd minute but pulled his shot wide.
New signing Antonino La Gumina missed a chance ten minutes after coming on when he met a cross by Andrea Ciofi. The striker, however, couldn’t find the corner as Elhan Kastrati made the stop.
“We were lacking physically in the second half,” Dal Canto said. “For this reason, it’s important to recover some players as soon as possible to have more alternatives available.”
At the other end, Cittadella could have won it as Luca Pandolfi forced an important save by Klinsmann on a breakaway just after 70 minutes.
It’s the fifth goalless draw for Cittadella this season as the Granata earn a point on the road. The club will remain outside the relegation zone for another week, sitting three points above 16th-place Sampdoria. The Granata also maintain their gap of five points from 18th-place Sudtirol in the automatic relegation zone.
Dal Canto’s side returns to action next Saturday at home against Mantova, who is tied on points with Cittadella.