Missed chances hurt Cittadella in Mantova defeat

Cittadella tallied 20 shots on Saturday afternoon, but failed to capitalize as Mantova defeated the Granata for the second time this season.

Alessandro Dal Canto’s men missed three big chances to score throughout the game, losing for the first time at the Tombolato since Nov. 10 despite late pressure.

Mantova entered the weekend as the only team in Serie B to not record a single road win. The club’s chances of breaking the streak were increased in the 34th minute when Francesco Ruocco buried an open header at the far post.

Cittadella came close to scoring just before halftime when Mantova goalkeeper Marco Festa denied Alessandro Salvi twice on two headed attempts.

The Granata had gone 0-0-5 when trailing at halftime, and that trend continued as Mantova doubled the lead in the 52nd minute. Leonardo Mancuso finished a penalty which was drawn by Simone Trimboli, gifting the midfielder his second goal against Cittadella this season.

Seven minutes later, however, Alessio Vita nodded a cross from Edoardo Masciangelo into the far corner, giving Cittadella a lifeline with 30 minutes remaining. Vita sits one goal behind Luca Pandolfi in the club’s season leading scorer tally after adding his fourth in the game.

Pandolfi came close to leveling the game in the 70th minute when his open volley sailed over the bar following Vita’s cross. The striker found another chance ten minutes later after delicately bring down a bouncing ball, but once again his effort failed to find the target from eight yards out.

Cittadella remains three points above 16th-placed Sampdoria for the night and ends a five game unbeaten streak. The Granata face bottom club Cosenza next Saturday in another relegation six-pointer.

‘Best performance’ since Dal Canto arrived

The first defeat of 2025 comes at the Tombolato for Alessandro Dal Canto’s men. After creating numerous opportunities to snatch a draw, the Cittadella boss feels some regret but remains optimistic about Cittadella’s survival chances.

“This was the best performance since I arrived here,” Dal Canto said in his postgame press conference. “We had 20 shots and I didn’t see us suffer during the game.”

Only in Dal Canto’s first game in charge – a 0-0 draw on Oct. 19 against Cosenza – did Cittadella muster more shots than the team did today. The Granata outshot Mantova 13-7 after halftime, and probably should have secured a point following Pandolfi’s clear-cut chances.

In the end, Cittadella created 0.54 expected goals (xG) in the second half, compared to Mantova’s 0.21 xG (excluding penalty).

“In the second half, we at least deserved a draw,” Dal Canto said. “Football goes like this sometimes. I don’t believe results always determine the performance.”

Vital upcoming weeks are on the horizon for Cittadella. Next is a trip to Calabria next Saturday to face Cosenza in another relegation clash before playing Spezia and Pisa: both of whom are in the top three of Serie B.

“I’m used to seasons with ups and downs,” Dal Canto said. “This season started badly, but now we cannot be calm but instead vigilant and alert.”

PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti / A.S. Cittadella