Venezia beat Napoli 1–0 on Saturday, 17 October 2026, at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, on Serie A matchday seven. Akor Adams scored in the 49th minute, winning a duel with Amir Rrahmani after a long ball from Simon Sohm; the deflection beat Alex Meret. Filip Stankovic saved Kevin De Bruyne's 68th-minute penalty, awarded after Matías Moreno fouled Rasmus Højlund. For Davide Nicola, on his first outing as Venezia coach, they are the first three points after six defeats. Napoli have three losses in seven league games.

Massimiliano Allegri had kept De Bruyne on the bench at kick-off, with Højlund. At 0–1 he sent both on, plus Alisson Santos. The Belgian had the chance to equalise from the spot and missed it. Stankovic also kept out a Stanislav Lobotka effort. „Serve lucidità”, Allegri said after the whistle, according to la Repubblica: lucidity is needed, not a crisis invented overnight.

Venezia had come into the match with zero points. Nicola largely kept Giovanni Stroppa's men and asked for pride. Napoli had the ball (about 71% possession, per FotMob) and 29 shots to 9, but few clean chances before the break. Lorenzo Lucca wasted a ball at 12 metres. The Lega Serie A report puts the signatures on Adams and the goalkeeper.

This is not a title won and not relegation sealed. It is an October afternoon on an island, in which a side with no points held a 1–0 against a Napoli side that had also just lost 1–3 to Villarreal in the Champions League. De Bruyne remains a starter Allegri can restore; one penalty kick does not close the Belgian's season.

la Repubblica headlined a Napoli „crisis”. The score, the scorer and the save are matchday facts, confirmed by the Lega. The rest — pressure on Allegri, „Nicola's first win” — is dressing-room comment, not a table verdict after seven rounds.

Image: kallerna, Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, Venezia-Empoli, January 2025, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; archive of the ground, not the 17 October 2026 match.

Sources consulted: Venezia-Napoli 1-0, De Bruyne misses a penalty - la Repubblica; Venezia-Napoli 1-0, three points for Nicola - Lega Serie A.