Davide Nicola marked his first match in charge of Venezia with a victory that ended the hosts’ run of defeats, while Napoli suffered another setback. The visitors had most of the possession but could not turn their pressure into a goal.
Adams broke the deadlock four minutes into the second half, finding the net after a move that saw the ball fall kindly in the area. Napoli responded by increasing the tempo and bringing on Rasmus Hojlund and De Bruyne, but Venezia defended with confidence.
The chance to equalise arrived when Hojlund was brought down in the box. De Bruyne took the penalty, but Stankovic guessed correctly and kept out the midfielder’s effort. The Venezia goalkeeper remained central to the result, making saves late on as Napoli searched for a way through.
Nicola said his decision to call for supporters to encourage Adams at half-time was not a reprimand for the striker’s earlier mistake.
“Seeing this enthusiasm, and especially seeing Adams over these days, his attitude, what he puts into it and the personality he has shown me, how he throws himself at every ball — of course he makes mistakes, as everyone does,” the coach said. “This player has considerable room to improve.”
Nicola was also pleased with the effort.
“What interested me was the attitude we needed to have in this match. Napoli had chances too, and we could even have come away with fewer points. But this is the spirit a newly promoted team must have.”
Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri said his side had created enough to get something from the game.
“When a team has 29 shots and misses a penalty, I don’t think playing with one centre-back more or less would have changed the match,” he said. “The table is not smiling on us, but there is only one way: we have to work and make the key moments go in our favour.”
Allegri defended his rotation, saying the squad could not rely on the same players every match, and urged his team to respond.
“We need to work calmly and with more attention. We have to turn this moment around, and now we have the Champions League match to win.”
The result gave Venezia FC their first league points of the season, while Napoli were left to reflect on missed chances and another costly defeat.