Atalanta 3‑1 Venezia: Krstović double powers first-half victory

Nikola Krstović scored twice and set up the opener as Atalanta built a three-goal lead by the half-hour mark to beat Venezia 3-1. Two goals in the opening six minutes set the course for a victory secured entirely through first-half scoring, with Antoine Hainaut’s reply and a late red card for Eljif Elmas unable to change the outcome.

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Franck Kessié put Atalanta ahead in the fourth minute, finishing with an assist from Krstović. The forward then turned scorer just two minutes later, this time supplied by Elmas, to leave Venezia facing a two-goal deficit almost immediately. That sixth-minute goal ultimately proved the difference between the teams.

Venezia introduced Richie Sagrado for Thierry Correia in the eighth minute, and the early substitute would later contribute to their response. Before that, however, Krstović struck again in the 30th minute. His second goal extended Atalanta’s advantage to 3-0 and completed a decisive opening half-hour in which he had a direct hand in all three home goals.

Hainaut gave Venezia a reply in the 37th minute, with Sagrado providing the assist. It reduced the deficit to two goals before the interval, but that was as close as the visitors came. The 3-1 half-time score became the final score, leaving Venezia to count the cost of conceding twice before they had played six minutes.

The result was built on Atalanta’s greater output in front of goal rather than their share of possession. They had just 36% of the ball but registered 22 shots, three more than Venezia. The sharper distinction came in efforts on target: Atalanta recorded 11 to the visitors’ four, a sizeable advantage despite spending less time in possession.

Half of Atalanta’s attempts were on target, compared with four of Venezia’s 19. Those figures give substance to the winning margin without suggesting the visitors were absent as an attacking force. Venezia generated a substantial shot total of their own, but far fewer of those attempts were on target, and Hainaut’s goal remained their only scoring return.

That contrast also puts Venezia’s 64% possession into perspective. Having more of the ball did not allow them to erase the damage done in the first half. Atalanta finished ahead in both total attempts and shots on target, while their eight corners narrowly exceeded Venezia’s seven. The hosts did not need a majority of possession to produce the stronger attacking numbers.

No further goals followed the interval. For Venezia, the required recovery remained two goals away throughout the second half; for Atalanta, the advantage established by Krstović’s double stayed intact. Hainaut’s first-half strike had prevented a clean sheet, but it did not become the start of a comeback.

Elmas’s dismissal in the 89th minute was the final major incident. Sent off for a foul, the midfielder left Atalanta to finish with 10 men after earlier assisting Krstović’s first goal. The timing matters: the red card came with the hosts already 3-1 ahead and did not change the score, rather than serving as the turning point in the result.

Atalanta also committed 14 fouls to Venezia’s six and finished with one yellow card as well as the dismissal. Venezia received two bookings, for Matias Moreno in the 18th minute and Juan Jesus in the 42nd. The disciplinary totals were a less tidy aspect of a home performance otherwise defined by its early goals and higher number of shots on target.

For the best moments, the official Serie A channel has published highlights of Atalanta–Venezia. The goals to revisit are Kessié’s fourth-minute opener, Krstović’s finishes in the sixth and 30th minutes, and Hainaut’s 37th-minute reply.

Atalanta finish the round 10th with nine points from six games, their record divided evenly between three wins and three defeats. Venezia remain 20th after six defeats, with no points and a goal difference of minus 11. Their second half brought no further concessions, but the opening half-hour had already left them too much to recover; Atalanta, by contrast, turned Krstović’s two goals and assist into their third league win.

Questions

How many goals did Nikola Krstović score against Venezia?

Krstović scored twice, in the sixth and 30th minutes. He also assisted Franck Kessié’s fourth-minute opener.

Where does the result leave Atalanta and Venezia in Serie A?

Atalanta are 10th with nine points from six matches. Venezia are 20th with no points after losing all six of their league games.

Why did Atalanta finish with 10 players?

Eljif Elmas was sent off for a foul in the 89th minute. Atalanta were already leading 3-1, and the score did not change.