Super Eagles battle awaits as excellent Akor Adams fires Venezia past Modena

Akor Adams made an instant mark on the new Coppa Italia campaign as his two goals and one assist helped Venezia beat Modena 3-2 at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on Saturday, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Nigeria striker scored once in each half and then helped create the winning goal as Venezia recovered from a 2-1 deficit.

Adams, who only moved to Italy this summer after his time at Sevilla, delivered a performance that gave Venezia a place in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia. Their reward is a meeting with Udinese, which means the next round will bring a Nigeria-versus-Nigeria contest between the Venezia striker and Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.

Adams turns the game around

Modena started strongly and Giuseppe Ambrosino put the visitors ahead after 17 minutes. Adams answered nine minutes later to make it 1-1. It was his first competitive goal for the club since joining from Sevilla a few days ago.

The Nigerian striker then saw Modena take control again before half-time. Ambrosino scored his second goal in the 39th minute to give Modena a 2-1 lead.

Venezia needed a strong response after the break and Adams provided it. With the game entering its final stages, Venezia produced a dramatic late comeback. John Yeboah scored in the 83rd minute after receiving the ball from the Super Eagles attacker.

Two minutes later, Adams completed the turnaround. His second goal made it 3-2 and gave Venezia the lead for the first time in the match. The final whistle confirmed a victory that had looked unlikely when Modena led 2-1 at half-time.

Adams, 26, was the standout performer of the encounter. The former Montpellier man scored twice, supplied the assist for Yeboah and directly contributed to all three Venezia goals. It was also a strong start to life at Venezia for the 26-year-old Nigerian, who joined the club permanently from Sevilla in July.

The victory was especially important because the Coppa Italia is a straight knockout competition at this stage. Venezia entered the tournament with a home tie against Modena and had to win to progress.

A Super Eagles battle awaits

Adams will now face a familiar opponent in the next round. Venezia's next Coppa Italia match is against Udinese, setting up a battle between two players with Nigeria connections.

Adams will lead Venezia's attack after his two-goal display against Modena. Okoye could be on the other side as Udinese's goalkeeper.

Earlier in the day, Okoye was in action as Udinese secured a 1-0 win over Calcio Padova also in their Round of 32 Coppa Italia meeting inside the Bluenergy Stadium – Stadio Friuli in Udine. The only goal of the game was scored by Keinan Davis ten minutes before the halftime break and it was enough to settle the tie.