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THE PLAYERS DIDN'T EXPLODE off the bench or act like they had achieved something special. But it was: Venezia had won their first game in 15, had scored their first goal from open play in nine, and had buried one of their relegation rivals in the process. Suddenly, Venezia had something to play for, in a season they almost had to abandon.

Monza didn't just roll over and give Venezia a charitable donation in their bid for survival. Venezia earned this win. They fought for second balls and wrestled possession away. Left wing-back Mikael Ellertsson, a nuisance throughout, outmuscled Samuele Birindelli before teeing up Daniel Fila for the only goal of the game. But there could've been more. Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, on loan from Juventus, nearly executed one of the best free-kicks of the season when he cut his wind-up short and finessed a shot that Monza 'keeper Stefano Turati only barely kept from crossing the line.

All of that's to say that Venezia have life. They were, like the lands they play on, sinking for much of the season, and when the club sold trusted striker Joel Pohjanpalo in January to Serie B's Palermo for Fila, a forward with marginal success in the Czech league, it seemed like they had given up. Venezia could defend — they held Lazio, Atalanta, and Napoli to goalless draws — but couldn't score.

Fila is just one of several bets Venezia have made in recent years and one of 24 players they signed this season, and it's hard to see how Venezia have any long-term success if they continue to follow a blueprint that nearly bankrupt them. It goes back to the 2021-22 season, their first back in Serie A after 20 years: To scale as quickly as they could for the big time, they completed more than 50 player transactions, including the signing of bygone players like Nani and Sergio Romero. Venezia wagered millions on Bayern Munich youngster Michael Cuisance only to sell him three years later for €300,000.

Venezia ended up running a €20-million transfer deficit only to get immediately relegated to Serie B, and nearly fell all the way down to Serie C. The bill came due as they celebrated their return to the top flight last June. If Drake hadn't rallied a group of investors to cover a €40-million hole in their accounts, Venezia would've folded.

This season has been about surviving, and so it will be until they move into their new stadium in 2027. The foundations are a little sturdier these days: Venezia are focused more on developing players from their academy and will, quite literally, play on more even ground near the airport, where a €315-million, 115-hectare complex is being built. These are self-sustaining investments that should make the previously reckless kind of wheeling and dealing obsolete.

Venezia's ambitions are certainly too big for their current digs, the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, the second-oldest stadium in Italy that's only reachable by foot or water taxi. But for too long, it has felt more like a tourist destination, a place to see those wonderful designer kits that populate Instagram feeds and views of the lagoon itself, than a genuine place for top-tier football.

The stadium only fits 11,000 people, far below the actual Serie A standard and so low it required special permission to host matches. The fans who watch aren't necessarily from the city of Venice itself but the surrounding mainland. But it feels a little like a carnival, a place for foreigners to get their fix and move onto the next stop on their tour of Italy. The move to the mainland stadium should refocus the intentions of a club that's fighting for relevance outside of merchandising and tourism.

But then it could lose the only thing that makes it relevant. A return to Serie B could again throttle their momentum and leave them with even more squad turnover. If they can push out a productive fan favorite like Pohjanpalo, whose goals helped propel Venezia back to the top flight, who can possibly put their faith in their decision-makers with so much still on the line?

Pohjanpalo was more than just a goal-scorer, too. He lived in the center of Venice, where not even regular Venetians desire property, and quickly fell in love with the city. He sipped wine in local bars and took pictures like a tourist along the canals. He felt at home in a city he had never even visited before, and made the trip back on Saturday to watch his former team less than 24 hours after scoring for Palermo in Serie B. Venezia sold a little of their soul when they let Pohjanpalo go. They also lost the surest thing they had in their lineup. It's decisions like these that could undermine the investments and planning Venezia's former bankers and businessmen have done over the last few years.

Next comes a relegation six-pointer against 18th-placed Empoli. A win or loss could could either boost or halve their survival chances. Venezia will then have to face AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Juventus. They have life again, but as they know so well, things can unravel quickly.