Venezia earned their first victory of the season, despite Pierluigi Gollini saving a Joel Pohjanpalo penalty, but Genoa were shaken by a horrific Ruslan Malinovskyi injury.
The Lagunari were already feeling the pressure after one point from four games, with Hans Nicolussi Caviglia suspended, Alfred Duncan, Giorgio Altare and Bjarki Bjarkason injured. The Grifone had held Inter and Roma to draws while beating Monza away. Junior Messias, Fabio Miretti, Brooke Norton-Cuffy and David Ankeye were still sidelined.
See how the game unfolded on the Liveblog.
Pierluigi Gollini made a big reaction save from six yards as Ellertsson tried to tap in the Gaetano Oristanio assist, with Busio’s follow-up charged down.
Vitinha was fouled in the box by Antonio Candela, but Venezia were rescued by the offside flag.
Busio really should’ve scored for the hosts on 34 minutes, incredibly turning the free header over from a Michael Svoboda cross.
Both teams were left badly shaken at the dawn of the second half, as Ruslan Malinovskyi caught his studs in the turf and broke his ankle, stretchered off to applause from well-wishers.
Venezia received a penalty five minutes later, as Busio completed a give and go with Joel Pohjanpalo to burst into the box, with Koni De Winter clumsily bundling into the back of him. However, Pierluigi Gollini got down to push the Pohjanpalo spot-kick off the line at the near bottom corner.
Instead, the deadlock was broken in bizarre fashion, as Busio’s cross went past Oristanio, with Johan Vasquez and Gollini leaving it, but it took an odd bend to squirm into the far bottom corner of the net.
Cross 🤷♂️
Shot 🤷♂️GIANLUCA BUSIO FROM DISTANCE FOR VENEZIA 🎯🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/l2tBfgOokh
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) September 21, 2024
John Yeboah fired over from the edge of the area when Pohjanpalo was screaming for the ball, so the message evidently got through, as they combined to score soon after.
Yeboah cut inside from the right and placed a perfect ball to the back post for the Pohjanpalo tap-in, his first Serie A goal.
Jay Idzes kept the clean sheet save with a stoppage-time block on Jeff Ekhator.
Venezia 2-0 Genoa
Busio 63 (V), Pohjanpalo 85 (V)
Saved penalty: Pohjanpalo 58 (V)
Player statistic
| 30' |  |
Koni De Winter |
| 57' | |
Mattia Bani | ||
| Joel Pohjanpalo |  |
58' | ||
| 62' | |
Andrea Pinamonti | ||
| Gianluca Busio (Assist: Antonio Candela) |
 |
63' | ||
| Michael Svoboda | |
71' | ||
| Joel Pohjanpalo (Assist: John Yeboah) |
|
85' | ||
| John Yeboah | |
88' |
Match statistic
