Kike Pérez's Stunner Leads Venezia to 2-1 Victory Over Udinese in Zanetti’s Debut

Venezia Claims Victory Over Udinese in Series A Clash

Kike Pérez delivered a remarkable long-range goal that secured a 2-1 victory for Venezia against Udinese at the Penzo stadium. This win marred Paolo Zanetti’s debut match as Udinese’s coach against his former team, leaving Udinese at the bottom of Serie A.

Zanetti took over this week following the dismissal of Kosta Runjaic. Ahead of this crucial match, Udinese had only managed to secure one point from their last eight league games, entering the match just one point above Davide Nicola’s Venezia, who had recorded their sole victory of the season against Napoli the previous month.

Venezia commenced the match with strong intent, with Antoine Hainaut forcing an early save from Maduka Okoye. Nicolò Zaniolo later squandered a promising opportunity inside the box, shooting wide.

Continuing to press forward, the hosts saw Juan Jesus header a corner just over, while Pasquale Mazzocchi curled a long-range attempt narrowly wide. At the other end, Filip Stanković thwarted a shot from Jurgen Ekkelenkamp. Hainaut missed the best chance of the opening half, firing over the bar after a rebound, and the teams went into halftime with the score locked at 0-0.

VENICE, ITALY – NOVEMBER 06: Kike Perez celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team’s advantage goal during the Serie A match between Venezia FC and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on November 06, 2026 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

Udinese pay the price as Venezia snatch three points

Udinese nearly took the lead at the start of the second half when Keinan Davis found himself one-on-one with Stanković, who made an excellent save to deny him.

This miss became costly for Udinese as Venezia took the lead in the 54th minute. Hainaut delivered a cross from the right that Toma Bašić converted into the bottom corner.

However, the advantage was short-lived. Just three minutes later, Matías Moreno accidentally deflected the ball into his own net, leveling the score following a prolonged VAR check on Zaniolo’s position during the buildup.

Pérez regained the lead for Venezia in the 65th minute, collecting Mazzocchi’s pass and launching a left-footed shot from outside the box into the top corner, leaving Okoye with no chance.

Mazzocchi had to leave the match due to injury shortly after, as Udinese relentlessly sought an equalizer. Stanković made a crucial save from a long-range shot by substitute Giorgi Chakvetadze. Venezia almost secured the match with a corner, but Moreno headed wide, Simon Sohm had a shot blocked, and Akor Adams’ late goal was chalked off for offside.

This victory lifted Venezia off the bottom of the standings, placing them a point behind Monza. Meanwhile, Udinese finds themselves at the foot of the table. Both teams will return to action after the international break, with Venezia facing Juventus on November 22 at 12:30 CET [11:30 GMT] and Udinese making their way to Bologna at 15:00 CET [14:00 GMT].