Lecce defeat Venezia 2-0 with second-half strikes from Gorter and Tiago Gabriel

First half pressure and VAR decisions

Venezia marked their return to Serie A at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo with high attacking pressure against Lecce before a near-capacity crowd. Venezia manager Giovanni Stroppa selected a front pairing of John Yeboah and Adams, leaving Rrahmani on the bench, while Lecce coach Eusebio Di Francesco started an attacking trio of Ndri, Santiago Pierotti, and Willem Geubbels. The home side created the first clear opening in the 8th minute when Hainaut entered the penalty area and drove an angled right-footed shot inches wide of the target. Eight minutes later, Adams flicked the ball toward Yeboah, who delivered a pass to Correia on the left side of the penalty area. Correia chipped the ball past Lecce goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone into the net, but referee Antonio Rapuano disallowed the effort for handball following a lengthy VAR review.

High possession and missed opportunities

Venezia continued to dictate the tempo throughout the remainder of the first half, accumulating 75% ball possession. In the 22nd minute, Adams released Yeboah on a 50-metre counter-attack down the pitch, but Falcone parried Yeboah's left-footed strike to concede a corner. Venezia midfielder Gianluca Busio generated another opportunity in the 32nd minute after an individual run, sending his right-footed attempt off target. Despite absorbing consistent pressure, Lecce threatened on their first corner kick of the match when Lassana Coulibaly connected with a rebound from close range and struck the post. Lecce suffered a setback just before the break as defender Gallo sustained an injury, prompting Di Francesco to introduce Ndaba at halftime.

Rapid breakthrough after the restart

Lecce broke the deadlock just 20 seconds into the second half following a mistake in the Venezia defense. Venezia defender Armel Bella-Kotchap misplayed a ball inside the penalty area, allowing Coulibaly to win possession and roll a pass back toward the edge of the box. Kenzo Gorter met the pass with a powerful first-time strike that beat goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, scoring on his first Serie A start. Venezia struggled to mount an immediate response against Lecce's tight defensive lines and coordinated pressing. Stroppa responded with substitutions, introducing Ridgeciano Haps for Correia and Dagasso for Kike Perez, while Di Francesco brought on Youssef Maleh to replace goalscorer Gorter.

Overturned equalizer and defensive clincher

Venezia increased their attacking tempo with crosses into the penalty box, but Falcone produced a reaction save against a header from Bartol Franjic. The home supporters celebrated an apparent equalizer when Toma Basic struck a low shot into the net, but the goal was ruled out because Yeboah was caught offside earlier in the move. Di Francesco reinforced his defensive setup by sending on Tiago Gabriel and inserted Nikola Stulic into the forward line to hold up play. Tiago Gabriel scored shortly after his arrival to double Lecce's lead to 2-0. Stulic missed two opportunities to add a third goal, while Falcone made another stop to deny Haps in the closing stages. The 2-0 victory earned Lecce their first three league points of the season and followed their Coppa Italia elimination by Palermo.