Cittadella on the brink of Serie C after Frosinone draw

Orji Okwonkwo netted his third goal since joining Cittadella in the winter, but the Granata weren’t able to complete the comeback in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Frosinone.

It’s a draw that keeps Alessandro Dal Canto‘s side 19th place going into the final two games of the season. Cittadella knows a loss next Friday against Bari paired with Brescia avoiding defeat would relegate the Granata to Serie C for the first time since 2015.

Dal Canto’s men entered Sunday looking to win their 10th road game of the season and break a seven-game winless run.

But similar to their previous three matches, Citta conceded the first goal of the game.

A penalty awarded to Frosinone in the 37th minute gave the hosts a chance from 12 yards out. Elhan Kastrati initially saved former Cittadella striker Giuseppe Ambrosino’s spot-kick, but the rebound fell to the feet of the Frosinone attacker who fired the Canarini in the lead.

“Our attitude hasn’t been right sometimes: after Frosinone’s goal we gave an impression of being weak to comeback,” Dal Canto said after the game. “If we are in this position, it’s because we are carrying some gaps.”

With Cittadella’s first shot on target in the second half, the Granata pulled themselves level with 17 minutes left. Okwonkwo pounced on a through pass by Andrea Tessiore and slotted his effort past Michele Cerofolini, scoring Citta‘s first goal from open play since March 29.

The hosts tried to respond five minutes later when Fares Ghedjemis found space and cut inside the box. His low effort forced Lorenzo Carissoni to blocked the goal-bound shot and keeping the score tied.

“The game lived on, in my opinion, too many of bursts of actions for each team,” Dal Canto said. “After we tied it, we were in too much of a rush and didn’t have enough nerve to get the result.”

The point keeps both sides within the relegation picture entering the final two games of the regular season. Frosinone stays outside the play-out zone by a single point, while Cittadella remains in 19th place on 36 points.

After Salernitana’s victory on Sunday, Dal Canto’s men could be officially relegated next Friday when they host Bari.

“Whoever does the sport here needs to have the ability to withstand pressure where we need to get a result to stay alive,” Dal Canto said. “We have to recover more nervous energy than rest because there is nine days left.

“It’s not a matter of physicality, but the emotional aspect.”

TOP PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti / A.S. Cittadella