Venezia Stun Napoli 1-0 for First Win as De Bruyne Penalty Is Saved

Venezia beat Napoli 1-0 at the Stadio Pierluigi Penzo on Saturday, October 17, 2026, in one of the biggest upsets of the Serie A season so far. Akor Adams scored in the 49th minute, and goalkeeper Filip Stankovic saved a Kevin De Bruyne penalty in the 68th minute. It was Venezia's first win and first points of the season, in coach Davide Nicola's first game in charge.

Venezia, last season's Serie B champions, had lost their first six league games and had not taken a single point. The club sacked Giovanni Stroppa during the week and turned to Nicola, a coach known for saving teams in trouble. Napoli arrived short of rhythm after a Champions League defeat at Villarreal in midweek, and coach Massimiliano Allegri rested De Bruyne and Rasmus Hojlund from the start.

Adams punishes a Napoli error

The first half was flat, with few clear chances at either end. The game changed four minutes after the break. Simon Sohm sent a long ball over the top, Adams used his strength to shrug off Napoli defender Amir Rrahmani, cut inside, and saw his finish deflect off Rrahmani and wrong foot goalkeeper Alex Meret.

It was a goal built on one long pass and one mistake, and it gave the home crowd a lead few had expected. Reports from the match say it was Venezia's first Serie A win over Napoli since 1942.

Stankovic holds the line

Allegri sent on his rested stars, and Napoli pushed hard. Juan Jesus, facing his former club, blocked a Hojlund shot almost on the goal line. Hojlund then won a penalty when Matias Moreno brought him down in the box. De Bruyne took it, and Stankovic smothered the weak effort on the line.

Stankovic was not done. He flew to palm away a Stanislav Lobotka curler that was heading for the far top corner, and he got down late to turn an Alisson Santos shot around the near post. Napoli kept coming, but the final ball would not fall for them, and one late Venezia break even forced Meret to save with a boot at the other end.

Nicola said after the game that he wanted the credit to go to his players, who had taken on a new shape in two training sessions. "We found a balance that allowed us to be competitive," he told DAZN Italia, in comments carried by Yardbarker. "We needed that tactical organisation which allowed us to be more competitive."

What it means

Venezia stay bottom of Serie A, but they now have three points and a result to build on. Napoli stay on 10 points from seven games and sit ninth after a third league defeat of the season. It was also their second defeat in a row, after the midweek loss in Europe.

For Nicola, one game does not save a season. But a win over Napoli, with a penalty saved and a clean sheet, is the kind of start that can change a dressing room. For Allegri, the questions will grow. His team had the ball, the names and the chances, and left Venice with nothing.