Akor Adams, Venezia's Nigerian forward, delivered the decisive contribution as the lagunari overturned a deficit to beat Modena 3-2 in the Coppa Italia round of 32 at the Penzo, securing passage into the next stage of the competition.
The result carries weight beyond a single cup tie. Venezia enter the 2026-27 Serie A campaign under Giovanni Stroppa yet to play a league match, and an early competitive win — built on a comeback — gives the squad a reference point before the championship begins in earnest. For Adams specifically, it confirms that last season's output was not a ceiling.
That output deserves context. Across 33 Serie A appearances in 2025-26, Adams scored 10 goals and contributed 3 assists, finishing with an average match rating of 6.54. Those are the numbers of a forward who earns his place in a top-flight squad without yet commanding the kind of authority that reshapes a game on his own. His AI overall score of 69 out of 100 suggests the gap between current level and ceiling is narrow — which makes moments like this Coppa Italia performance significant. A forward who scores in a comeback, under pressure, before a competitive ball has been kicked in the league, is one who arrives at the season with momentum rather than questions.
Stroppa's Venezia will need Adams functioning at the upper end of his range. The club finished last season with the profile of a side that relies on individual quality in the final third to compensate for structural limitations, and a 26-year-old striker with double-figure goal returns is central to that equation.
The next test comes in Serie A, where Venezia's league campaign is yet to begin. Adams has given Stroppa an early answer.