Venezia beat Udinese 2-1 at the Penzo in a relegation six-pointer, and the result flipped the bottom of Serie A. Kike Pérez scored the decisive goal in the 65th minute, lifting Venezia out of last place and leaving Udinese at the foot of the table before the international break.
The match carried extra weight because Udinese had changed managers earlier in the week, appointing Paolo Zanetti after Kosta Runjaic was sacked. But the coaching change did not deliver an immediate turnaround. Before kickoff, Udinese were one point above Venezia, yet they entered the game with only one point from their previous eight league matches.
How the match unfolded
Venezia took the lead in the 54th minute when Toma Bašić scored, and the home side looked set to control the rest of the contest. Udinese briefly got back level just three minutes later through a Matías Moreno own goal, but the response was short-lived.
In the 65th minute, Kike Pérez restored Venezia's lead with a left-footed strike from outside the box. That goal proved to be the winner and gave Venezia their second league win of the season, with their only previous victory coming against Napoli last month.
What the result means
The standings impact was immediate. Venezia moved off the bottom, while Udinese dropped to last place after a defeat that underlined how fragile their position has become. For a match billed as a relegation six-pointer, the outcome made the table picture even more difficult for Udinese and gave Venezia a much-needed boost.
Venezia now turn quickly to a difficult trip to Juventus on 22 November at 12:30 CET. Udinese, meanwhile, will try to regroup after the international break before traveling to Bologna at 15:00 CET.
