With the hosts desperately seeking a win to elevate themselves out of the drop zone, there was plenty of encouragement for the home fans in the opening exchanges as La Viola were pinned back.
Ultimately, David de Gea went untested though as Fiorentina started to take control, and his opposite number, Ionut Radu, had to show strong wrists to turn Nicolo Fagioli’s curling shot round the post. Cher Ndour also went close as La Viola upped the ante.
Despite struggling to create chances, Venezia did have a golden chance just before the break, but the lively John Yeboah pulled his shot wide after showing fantastic pace and skill to engineer the space for the shot.
The Ecuadorian then engineered an opportunity for strike partner Gaetano Oristanio on the other side of the interval but he lost all composure at the crucial moment.
Eusebio Di Francesco’s side didn’t give up, however, and they got their reward moments later through an unlikely source when Fali Cande picked the perfect moment to score his first for the club, lashing home from close range after controlling Kike Perez’s cross.
It got even better on 68 minutes after Radu made an incredible save to deflect Luca Ranieri’s shot onto the inside of the post. Venezia immediately swept forward, and Oristanio made up for his earlier miss to head home at the far post.
The visitors didn’t give up, however, and 15 minutes to go they had themselves a lifeline, thanks to Rolando Mandragora turning and lashing the ball home.
However, Venezia were able to hold out to claim a precious three points, which lifts them up to 17th, but still only one point above the drop zone.
The defeat added to a disappointing week for Fiorentina after their Conference League semi-final exit and could dash their hopes of a continental return,as they now sit four points adrift of the top six with only two games to go.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Fali Cande (Venezia)
