Serie A: Udinese Edge Venezia 3-2 in Thrilling Encounter

Udinese secured a thrilling 3-2 win over Venezia, despite the visitors staging a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down to level the score at 2-2, only to be denied by a late Udinese winner.

Venezia's valiant fightback from 2-0 down to 2-2 ultimately proved insufficient, as they succumbed to a 3-2 defeat against Udinese in a thrilling encounter. To compound their misery, Venezia also lost goalkeeper Filip Stankovic to injury.

Udinese had been struggling, having garnered only three points from their previous five rounds, including back-to-back defeats. The Friulani's woes were exacerbated by the absence of suspended midfielder Jesper Karlstrom, while Lautaro Giannetti, Isaak Touré, Keinan Davis, Kingsley Ehizibue, and Maduka Okoye were all sidelined due to injury.

Venezia, meanwhile, had been experiencing a modest upturn in form, having drawn their previous two matches against Parma and Verona. However, they remained second-from-bottom in the standings, with several key players unavailable, including Michael Svoboda, Domen Crnigoj, Alfred Duncan, Marin Sverko, and Richie Sagrado, who were all struggling with fitness issues. Joel Pohjanpalo, meanwhile, was absent from the bench, ahead of his impending transfer to Palermo.

WHAT. A. GAME. 🤩#UdineseVenezia pic.twitter.com/1EcepKnuu5

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) February 1, 2025

Venezia's woes deepened when goalkeeper Filip Stankovic suffered a knee injury after just 19 minutes, prompting the introduction of Jens Joronen. The new goalkeeper was soon called into action, making a spectacular save to deny Jurgen Ekkelenkamp's powerful shot. However, Joronen was caught off his line shortly thereafter, flailing wildly at a Hassane Kamara cross from the left, which allowed Lorenzo Lucca to volley in acrobatically at the far post.

⚽ 48' Udinese 1-0 Venezia
⚽ 52' Udinese 2-0 Venezia
⚽ 64' Udinese 2-1 Venezia
⚽ 78' Udinese 2-2 Venezia
⚽ 84' Udinese 3-2 Venezia#UdineseVenezia was a rollercoaster 🎢 pic.twitter.com/rhGtbsPdKw

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) February 1, 2025

Jens Joronen's struggles in goal continued as he was at fault for Udinese's second goal. The goalkeeper crashed into a teammate while attempting to punch the cross away, meekly deflecting the ball into the path of Sandi Lovric, who volleyed in the rebound from 12 yards.

Venezia managed to get back into the game when Hans Nicolussi Caviglia's powerful shot from a tight angle caught Razvan Sava off guard, flying into the near top corner. Joronen then made amends with a crucial save, denying Lorenzo Lucca's snapshot to keep the scoreline down.

Venezia completed their remarkable comeback from 2-0 down to level the score at 2-2 when Christian Gytkjaer bundled the ball over the line at the back post, following a corner flicked on by Cande. However, Udinese refused to give up, and they eventually sealed the win with a late goal.

Udinese's winner came courtesy of Oumar Solet's determined run down the left flank, where he dribbled past defenders and pulled the ball back from the by-line for Iker Bravo to drive into the far bottom corner with his right foot. Despite Venezia's continued pressure, including a headed effort from John Yeboah that sailed over the bar from a Kike Perez cross, Udinese held on for their first home win in several months.