Cittadella 4-1 Virtus Verona: Rabbi brace helps Granata begin 2026 in style
On January 3, 2026 by Jake IovineCittadella secured its tenth win of the season on Saturday as the Granata beat Virtus Verona 4-1 at the Stadio Piercesare Tombolato.
Emanuele Anastasia netted his first goal for the club just after the 20th minute mark. Simone Rabbi also scored a brace while Alessio Vita capped the game off with a free kick.
The win puts Manuel Iori’s side three points behind second-placed Lecco following its draw against Ospitaletto on Saturday evening.
Anastasia broke the deadlock in the 21st minute after pouncing on a missed clearance by the Rossoblù defense.
But the visitors steadily grew into the match approaching the interval and eventually leveled the game when Matteo Bassi smashed home a scramble inside the penalty area. However, after a challenge by Iori using his first FVS card of the game, referee Simone Gavini overturned the decision.
“For 10 minutes of the first half we decided to make life difficult for ourselves,” Iori said after the game on Virtus Verona’s late pressure before halftime. “You complicate the game even when the result was never in the balance except for those 10 minutes when we did two or three things that we could have avoided.”
The disallowed goal proved to be the turning point as Cittadella doubled its advantage in stoppage time of the first half. Rabbi scored his third goal of the season after finishing a short range effort following an initial block.
The attacker put the Granata into a 3-0 lead four minutes after halftime with a tidy finish on the edge of the box.
Virtus Verona scored a constellation goal in the 82nd minute on a deflected shot by Nicola Patanè, but Cittadella regained its three-goal advantage six minutes later after Vita’s sublime free kick.
The Granata return to action next Sunday against Alcione Milano in Sesto San Giovanni.
“The goal is to get as many points as possible,” Iori said on the team’s objectives. “To arrive with a certain level of self-esteem, confidence and certainties.”
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PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti / A.S. Cittadella