Akor Adams scored his first Serie A goal for Venezia, but it was not enough to prevent a fourth successive league defeat as Fiorentina came from behind to win 4-2 on Friday.
Both sides had lost their opening three league matches, but Fiorentina made the more confident start and created several early chances. Beto, Franco Mastantuono, Alex Jimenez and Cher Ndour all threatened before Venezia took the lead against the run of play in the 22nd minute.
Adams, the Nigeria international, received the ball on the right side of the penalty area and finished first time into the far corner. The strike opened his Serie A account after his summer move to Venezia.
Fiorentina responded almost immediately. Mastantuono equalised in the 29th minute and put the visitors ahead one minute later, completing a rapid turnaround before half-time.
Mateo Pellegrino extended Fiorentina’s advantage in the 66th minute, leaving Venezia facing a difficult task to rescue anything from the match.
Mastantuono completed his hat-trick with six minutes remaining, while Antoine Hainaut scored a late consolation for Venezia in the 87th minute.
The result leaves Venezia bottom of the league table with no points from their first four matches. Fiorentina, who had also started the campaign with three defeats, secured their first league victory of the season.
Adams joined Venezia from Sevilla during the summer in a club-record transfer reported to be worth around €17 million plus bonuses. He signed a four-year contract with the club.
The forward had already scored twice in the Coppa Italia, registering a brace in Venezia’s 3-2 victory over Modena in August. His goal against Fiorentina was his first in Serie A, although it could not prevent Venezia from extending their losing run.
The club will now look to recover from their difficult start after conceding four goals in a match for the second time this season. Fiorentina’s victory, meanwhile, ended their own run of three consecutive league defeats.