MODENA, Italy (Interstat) — Venezia opened its Serie B campaign with a 2-1 road victory over Modena on Saturday, overcoming a late projected draw to secure three points at Stadio Alberto Braglia.

Substitutes made the decisive impact. John Yeboah put Venezia ahead in the 38th minute, assisted by Gianluca Busio. After the break, fellow substitute Antonio Casas doubled the lead in the 74th, set up by Antoine Hainaut. Modena’s Francesco Di Mariano scored a consolation in the fourth minute of stoppage time from Simone Santoro’s pass.

The match was contentious, featuring four yellow cards in a 20-minute second-half span, including bookings for Venezia’s Busio and Hainaut. The result defied a pre-match projection that heavily favored Modena. Venezia begins the season 1-0-0, while Modena starts 0-1-0.