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3 things we learned from Cittadella draw with Virtus Verona

On August 26, 2025 by Jake Iovine

Cittadella began its 2025/26 Serie C campaign on Sunday in a 1-1 draw with Virtus Verona.

Both sides looked to get their first wins of the season following exits from the Coppa Italia Serie C the weekend prior. Mattia Gaddini thought he found the winner for Cittadella in the 84th minute, but an equalizer by Michael Fabbro four minutes into stoppage time split the points in the season opener.

Two red cards were also shown in the game, as well as the debut of Football Video Support (FVS). The new technology came into action several times as both coaches used at least one of their two available challenges throughout the match.

Here are three takeaways following the Granata‘s 1-1 draw in Verona.

Room for improvement in the attacking phase

While Cittadella arguably improved its attacking performance from last weekend’s 2-0 loss in Ravenna, there is still work to be done for Manuel Iori’s side in front of goal.

Cittadella dominated possession for majority of the game. But it was Luigi Fresco’s side who tallied more shots on target (5) in the match than their opponents (3), despite playing down a man for 30 minutes.

The Granata accumulated an expected goals (xG) tally of 2.01 in the game compared to Virtus Verona’s 0.88 xG, according to SofaScore. Iori’s side created 0.72 xG in the half hour played with a man advantage, finding it difficult to break down the Rossoblù defense.

Cittadella missed several chances that could’ve secured three points on the road. Cristian Bunino missed an early opportunity three minutes in after his effort was saved by Sheikh Sibi. The Granata waited until the 80th minute for their next clear-cut chance, when Jacobo Desogus found space alone from ten yards out. However, the second half substitute blasted his effort over the bar.

While Citta tallied more shots and expected goals than last week’s game in Ravenna, they weren’t able to make it count as they settled for a point.

No room for error in Girone A

After the first round of games in Girone A, Cittadella already finds themselves trailing promotion rivals Vicenza.

The Lane thrashed Lumezzane 5-0 on Sunday night. The Granata also failed to take full advantage of Union Brescia’s slip-up in its home defeat against Arzignano.

Serie C leaves a small margin for error. That was shown in last season’s Girone A, where Vicenza missed automatic promotion by three points, despite finishing with a 25-8-5 record. Seven points also separated fourth-placed AlbinoLeffe and 10th-placed Arzignano in the playoff positions, demonstrating the competitiveness of the league.

This means every point will matter toward the end of the season. Whether a team is fighting for direct promotion, playoffs or relegation, every slip-up could prove costly for Cittadella.

Iori’s side will host Vicenza on Sept. 15. The Matchday 4 clash already looks to be a critical game in the course of the season for both sides.

Time consuming FVS

The newly implemented Football Video Support (FVS) made its debut in Serie C this weekend. The innovation gives each team two opportunities to challenge certain plays in the game that is deemed a possible refereeing mistake.

FVS already made headlines in Cittadella’s case. Both Fresco and Iori used their challenges at least once, causing the game to pause for long periods of time as the referee checked his monitor for review.

Fresco successfully challenged a yellow card issued to Alessandro Salvi in the second half. Upon review, the referee changed his initial decision and gave the veteran right back a straight red card following a dangerous tackle.

Iori unsuccessfully challenged a possible penalty for Cittadella late in the second half, causing him to lose one of his two FVS cards.

But the technology also received criticism. After the game, Iori said the time consumed by the reviews disrupted the flow of the game, making it difficult for players.

“In the second half, I think only 15 minutes were actually played,” Iori said in his postgame interview. “This is something to evaluate, not just in this game but in all of them. It’s true that it gives you something, but it also breaks the rhythm of the match.”

In Girone C, Sunday’s game between Monopoli and Cosenza saw 10 minutes of stoppage time added to the second half. Another large amount was added after the 90th minute during Sorrento’s 0-0 draw with Cavese.

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PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti / A.S. Cittadella