Venezia gained promotion to Serie A for the first time in 19 years at the expense of Cittadella, after a 1-1 home draw in the second leg of their playoff final against Cittadella.
The Arancioneroverde won the first leg 1-0, but drew 1-1 in Venice as they were reduced to 10 men in the first half. The Cittadella goal was scored by Federico Prioa as he seized on a loose ball in the box.
Despite constant Cittadella pressure, Venezia broke with two minutes of stoppage time to play and Riccardo Bocalon sealed the promotion by making it 2-1 on aggregate.
WE’RE BACK! ???? pic.twitter.com/WXvH2PfnLw
— Venezia FC (@VeneziaFC_EN) May 27, 2021
Both teams showed attacking intent in the first 25 minutes, but it was Cittadella who made the vital breakthrough. A low pass into the box caught the Venezia defence napping, and Prioa was able to poke the ball beyond Niki Maeenpaeae.
The situation got worse for Venezia after 36 minutes, when Mazzochi was shown his second yellow card in the space of a minute. After the first yellow for a foul, he immediately put in a heavy tackle on another Cittadella player and gave referee Daniele Orsato no choice.
The second half was filled almost entirely of Cittadella as they tried to capitalise on the extra player. With the tie level at 1-1 on aggregate, it was Venezia who would still go through as they finished the Serie B season with two more points than Cittadella.
Venezia showed impressive attacking intent towards the end of the game, choosing not to invite pressure. It paid off when Bocalon poked home a low cross with almost the last kick of the game.
S C E N E S
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— ForzaItalianFootball (@SerieAFFC) May 27, 2021
Venezia have now joined Empoli and Salernitana in being promoted to the top flight.
