Cittadella dominates second half, ends year with road victory over Giana Erminio

Cittadella returned to winning ways on Sunday afternoon, defeating Giana Erminio 0-2 in Gorgonzola after scoring twice in the final 20 minutes.

Following a tight first half with limited chances, Andrea Cecchetto opened the scoring for the Granata by finishing a loose ball in the box. Twelve minutes later, Francesco Amatucci nodded home a cross to score his first goal of the season and seal the win for Manuel Iori’s side.

The Granata improve to 9-5-5 and remain fourth in the standings, five points behind second place as the team reaches the halfway mark of the season.

“I’m happy because scoring two goals away from home and sealing the win is never a given,” Iori said after the game. “These games can be a bit of a trap, especially given the time of year, with the holidays just around the corner. The guys’ attitude and mentality were excellent.”

Both teams entered Sunday as some of the most in form teams of the league. Giana won four of its previous five games and collected the third most points of any team since Matchday 7. Cittadella entered as the second best team since late September, but recently failed to win its last three games following a seven game winning streak.

Giana’s best chance of the first half came on the right hand side where Emanuele Occhipinti served a low cross near the six yard box. However, the ball traveled across the face of goal without a touch.

Cittadella dominated the second half by tallying eight shots and neutralizing Giana’s attack. The Granata held the hosts to zero attempts after halftime as they also controlled 61% possession.

Cecchetto broke the deadlock in the 70th minute after heading in a loose ball that wasn’t cleared following a corner. It’s the academy graduate’s second goal of the season and second of his professional career.

Amatucci added to Cittadella’s lead in the 82nd minute after arriving to a cross swung in by Francesco D’Alessio, directing his headed effort into the net.

“What I’m most pleased about is that, once we took the lead, we didn’t drop back or let up,” Iori said. “We didn’t defend low, we just kept pushing. Then the second goal came, and that was it.”

After starting the season 1-1-4, Cittadella will finish in the top four of Girone A with 32 points entering a two week break over Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The first game of 2026 for Iori’s side is on Jan. 3 at home against Virtus Verona.

“Our goal is to get as many points as possible to reach the highest possible position,” Iori said. “Up there, there’s a team that’s tougher to catch, we know that. This away win, after two draws and a loss, is also helpful mentally to start the second half of the season well.”

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PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti / A.S. Cittadella