Vakoun Bayo, Udinese's 29-year-old forward, scored twice to overturn a deficit against Venezia in the Coppa Italia Round of 32, sending the bianconeri through to the last sixteen with a 2-1 comeback victory at the Bluenergy Stadium.
The result matters beyond the cup. Udinese under coach Kosta Runjaić have started the 2026-27 season with a quiet competence — seventh in Serie A with four points from two matches, a record of one win and one draw — but Bayo had yet to register a goal or assist in his single league appearance this term, carrying an average rating of 6.50. The Coppa Italia gave him a stage, and he used it.
Venezia took the lead through Sagrado, leaving Udinese to chase the match. Bayo's response was to score twice and turn the tie on its head. That kind of performance — absorbing pressure, then producing the decisive moments — is precisely what a forward rated at an AI overall of 63 out of 100, with a potential of 65, needs to demonstrate when league minutes are not yet guaranteed.
The pre-season had offered early signals. Bayo scored the only goal as Udinese defeated Barcelona in the final of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup, a result that generated optimism around the club. Converting that promise into Serie A returns has been slower work, but a brace against Venezia in a knockout competition is not a footnote — it is evidence of a striker who can decide matches when the pressure is real and the margin for error is zero.
Udinese's next Coppa Italia assignment is against Atalanta in the Round of 16, a considerably sterner examination. Whether Runjaić selects Bayo to lead the line in that fixture, or trusts him to carry the same form into league action, the Ivorian has at least narrowed the distance between expectation and output. At 29, with a ceiling that the data suggests is close, the window for consolidation is not wide. These two goals are a start.