Mulattieri, Berardi give Cittadella record fifth straight home loss

It’s been a season of unwanted club records for Cittadella, but the team adds another one after Saturday’s loss to Sassuolo.

For the first time in club history, the Granata lose five straight Serie B home games. An early goal at the start of each half for Sassuolo gave the visitors a 1-2 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Alessandro Dal Canto’s men entered the match needing a response following a 1-5 thrashing against Sudtirol last weekend. Sassuolo aimed to maintain its nine-point lead at the summit of Serie B in its third meeting of the season against Cittadella.

Samuele Mulattieri opened the scoring before Domenico Berardi chipped in his fifth goal of the season early in both the first and second halves. Simone Tronchin buried a shot at the end of regulation time to set up a frantic finale, but the Neroverdi held on to the victory.

“We made two mistakes leading to Sassuolo’s goals, but we leave without any regrets,” Dal Canto said in his postgame press conference. “We responded blow for blow given our qualities.”

Just like in the previous two meetings this season, Sassuolo took the lead through Mulattieri’s opener. The visitors early possession payed off as the striker ended his five-game goal drought by firing a shot near post.

Cittadella’s first opportunity came shortly after 30 minutes when Orji Okwonkwo got on the end of a cross to the far post, which forced a save from Sassuolo goalkeeper Horatiu Moldovan.

The Granata got another chance minutes later after Alessio Vita found himself free at the top of the box. Edoardo Masciangelo’s cross found the midfielder but his shot sailed too high.

Cittadella entered halftime down a goal and looked to snatch a point coming out of the locker rooms. But less than 30 seconds after the second half kickoff, Sassuolo doubled its advantage through veteran midfielder Domenico Berardi, lobbing Elhan Kastrati after a clever through pass.

The early goal proved to be devastating for the Granata as they could only attempt one shot on target throughout the second half.

That one attempt came late in the game when Tronchin scored his second goal of the season to give Cittadella a sliver of hope. Moldovan initially parried away a cross by Jacopo Desogus, but the substitute fired home from close range.

Cittadella drops to 13th place and stays two points above the relegation play-out zone with eight games remaining. The Granata continue to struggle at home, losing its eighth game of the season at the Tombolato.

“I continue to say it’s impossible to survive without winning home games,” Dal Canto said. “We have to win at least one or two.”

Dal Canto’s men return after the international break where they’ll face fourth-placed Cremonese on March 29.

“We have to believe we can fight until the last match for safety, even if we have to go through the play-out,” he said. “If we play with blood in our eyes, the team can do this.

“After the break we’ll play Cremonese, then it’ll all be six-pointers.”

PHOTO: A.S. Cittadella Facebook