Venezia stun Napoli for first win as Stankovic denies De Bruyne
Six games, six defeats, zero points. Then Venezia beat Napoli.
The bottom club in Serie A, Italy's top division, won 1-0 at home on 17 October for their first victory of the season. It came at Stadio Penzo, Venezia's tight ground on the edge of the lagoon, in a Matchday 7 fixture that kicked off at 15:00 CEST Lega Serie A.
Akor Adams got the goal. He struck from the edge of the area and that single shot settled it.
Venezia goalkeeper Filip Stankovic did the rest. He saved a penalty from Kevin De Bruyne and then produced a one-handed stop from Stanislav Lobotka to protect the lead The Guardian.
It was Davide Nicola's first game in charge of Venezia. He had been appointed on 14 October, a day after Giovanni Stroppa was removed following a 3-1 defeat to Atalanta. Stroppa had led Venezia to the Serie B title and promotion last season.
Nicola knows this kind of fight. His previous job at Cremonese ended with his dismissal last March when the team were 18th.
For Napoli, the defeat deepened a difficult start. Massimiliano Allegri was on the touchline for Napoli, having been appointed in the summer to replace Antonio Conte. Last season's Serie A runners-up have now lost five of their first nine games under him.
Allegri turned to his bench in Venice. De Bruyne, Alisson Santos and Rasmus Højlund all entered as substitutes, but Napoli could not find a way through.
The numbers tell the story of the afternoon. Napoli finished with 2.44 expected goals, a measure of chance quality, yet scored none beIN Sports. Stankovic was the difference.
Allegri challenged his players afterwards to "change the trend" and said there was "no point worrying" after the loss.
What makes this stand out is Venezia's recent history. They finished 19th in Serie A in 2024-25 and bottom in 2021-22. Promoted again, they had lost their first six games this season before Napoli arrived with zero points to their name.
One afternoon changed the mood. A new manager, a first win, and a penalty save the home fans will talk about for years.
