Venezia vs Udinese was decided by Kike Pérez, and not by much else that mattered more. His 65th-minute winner sealed a 2-1 comeback at the Penzo, gave Venezia a badly needed lift and left Udinese bottom of Serie A with five points from 11 matches. Venezia are still in the bottom three in 19th, but this was a result with real weight at that end of the table.

Kike Pérez made the difference

Pérez's goal had extra punch because the game had already swung twice in quick succession. Toma Bašić put Venezia ahead in the 53rd minute, then Matias Moreno turned the ball into his own net in the 57th to pull Udinese level. Eight minutes later, Pérez settled it.

That made it his first league goal of the season, in his 11th Serie A appearance. He is not carrying Venezia's attack week after week, but this was exactly the kind of intervention they needed in a direct fight near the bottom.

His 8.2 rating was the best in the match, which fits the story of the night. Venezia had other contributors, Bašić among them, but Pérez supplied the decisive moment.

The game swung fast, and the review dragged on

The equaliser brought the messiest sequence of the match. Moreno's own goal stood after a long VAR check over Zaniolo's position in the build-up, although the detail around that review has not been described in exactly the same way everywhere.

Luca Marelli, quoted by TuttoMercatoWeb in comments translated from Italian, said: "It is the 'fault' of the camera angle in the Venice stadium, which does not help with its perspective."

The broad point is clear enough: the review took time, the goal stood, and Venezia still recovered quickly enough to take the game back through Pérez.

Udinese had one late route back when Akor Adams saw a goal ruled out for offside with nine minutes left. Instead, the defeat deepened a miserable run for a side that had taken one point from their previous eight league games before this one.

Udinese's slide continues under Paolo Zanetti

This was Paolo Zanetti's first game as Udinese coach, and it came against his former club. That adds some storyline to the night, but the bigger issue is the state of the team he has inherited.

Udinese finished the evening 20th with five points from 11 matches. They have now lost four of their last five league games, and this one followed the same pattern as too many others in the slump: moments in the game without enough end product to turn them into points.

Venezia do not suddenly look safe because of one result, and the table still has them 19th. Even so, getting off the bottom in a 2-1 win over Udinese is a proper boost before their trip to Juventus on 22 November at 12:30 CET.

FAQ

Why was Kike Pérez so important in Venezia's win over Udinese?

Pérez scored the winning goal in the 65th minute as Venezia beat Udinese 2-1 at the Penzo. He also posted an 8.2 match rating, the best figure in the game. With it being his first league goal of the season, the strike carried extra weight in a direct relegation battle.

Did Venezia move out of the relegation zone after beating Udinese?

No. The win moved Venezia up to 19th, so they got off the bottom but stayed inside the bottom three. It was still a significant result because Udinese dropped to 20th and the gap at that end of the table remains tight.

How bad is Udinese's start after the loss to Venezia?

Udinese are bottom of Serie A after the 2-1 defeat and have only five points from 11 league matches. Before this game they had taken one point from their previous eight league games, so Paolo Zanetti walked into a team already in a deep slump.

What happened with the VAR review in Venezia vs Udinese?

Matias Moreno's own goal stood after a long VAR check involving Zaniolo's position in the build-up. Sources differ slightly on what exactly caused the delay, while Luca Marelli told TuttoMercatoWeb, in comments translated from Italian, that the camera angle at the Penzo did not help the review.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →