Serie B 22/23: Venezia - Genoa postmatch

Venezia hosted Genoa at Stadio Penzo on Sunday night in the 2022/23 Serie B season opener and fell to the visitors by a 1-2 scoreline, as Kelvin Yeboah struck the go-ahead goal in the 85th minute and Domen Črnigoj’s would-be equalizer in the 95th minute was canceled out by VAR.

Venezia manager Ivan Javorčić and attacker Dennis Johnsen spoke to the press after the match.

Ivan Javorčić:

“We just came out of a very peculiar situation, with many of our guys having not yet recovered [from Covid-19] to their optimal condition. We tried to break Genoa's rhythm, looking to play the ball into the areas of the pitch where we thought they were weaker. We defended with determination and temperament, yet we conceded an avoidable goal, and then we found more courage in the second half. We can be satisfied with the substance of the game, although there is still a long way to go.

We need to shake off some of the uncertainties we've been dragging around since last year, like our tendency to suffer in the final 20 minutes of the match. But I'm confident after this starting point: we sent an important message today, it was a good game for us in all respects.”

Dennis Johnsen:

“I am happy to have found my way back to goal after struggling last season. I did targeted work in this regard during training camp, but I can't say I'm satisfied yet: I can still improve a lot. We are still at the beginning of our journey as a team. We will find a greater rhythm by playing together more frequently, and we need to work on our shortcomings in the final minutes of the game. Playing the way we did today, with more focus to not concede, will definitely allow us to achieve positive results.”