By Anna Italia
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34% Ball Possession LIVORNO and 66% Ball Possession NAPOLI
Livorno 1 – 1 Napoli 
39′ Pepe Reina (own goal) 32′ Dries Mertens (pen)
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Serie A Standing AFTER the game:
Livorno, 18th position with 21 points and a negative goal difference of -19
Napoli, 3rd position with 52 points and a positive goal difference of +22
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Napoli | 25 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 51:29 | 22 | 52 |
| 18 | Livorno | 26 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 27:46 | -19 | 21 |
Livorno battling for salvation while Napoli going to the Armando Picchi Stadium to keep the 3rd position. Napoli looking to get closer to the 2nd position seeing only 7 points difference after Roma draw with Inter with a 0-0. A victory for Napoli will put them to 54 points shortening the gap to 4 points, though, Roma having a pending game with Parma which was previously postponed.
Napoli opening the score in the 32nd minute after Referee Mazzoleni grants a penalty to Napoli conceded by Livorno defender Federico Ceccherini for a foul on Napoli forward Goran Pandev bringing him down. Livorno players protest, but Mazzoleni not changing his decision. Taking the penalty spot is forward Dries Mertens converting the penalty with a right footed shot defeating Livorno goalkeeper Francesco Bardi in the center.
Mamma mia! Livorno equalizing after a mess between Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina and defender Miguel Britos! In the 39th minute, the action starting with the assist by midfielder Djamel Mesbah with a cross towards the center while goalkeeper Reina anticipating to block the action… Here is the thing, the bim bam boom… defender Britos and Reina almost clashing to clear the ball while Livorno midfielder Ibrahima Mbaye from close range defeat Reina with a left footed shot in the bottom left corner. It seems there will be an own goal assigned to Reina for deviation…..
First half ending 34% ball possession Livorno and 66%
Here is LIVORNO official starting lineup by coach Domenico Di Carlo:
Livorno (3-5-2): Bardi; Ceccherini, Emerson, Coda; Mbaye, Benassi, Biagianti, Greco, Mesbah; Paulinho, Belfodil.
Here is NAPOLI official starting lineup by coach Rafael Benitez:
Napoli (4-2-3-1): Reina; Maggio, Fernández, Britos, Ghoulam; Inler, Jorginho; Mertens, Hamšík, Callejón; Pandev.
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Stats AFTER the game. Top scorer for LIVORNO: Forward Paulinho with 10 goals
Top scorer for NAPOLI: Forward Gonzalo Higuain with 13 goals
| Livorno | Goals | Goals | Napoli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paulinho | 10 | 13 | Higuain, Gonzalo |
| Greco, Leandro | 4 | 9 | Callejon |
| Siligardi, Luca | 3 | 6 | Pandev, Goran |
| Emeghara, Innocent | 3 | 6 | Hamsik, Marek |
| Emerson | 2 | 6 | Mertens, Dries |
Stats. Here are the last 3 games of LIVORNO: 1 win, 2 lost
| 23/02/14 | SA | Livorno – Verona |
2:3 | Round 25 |
| 16/02/14 | SA | Cagliari – Livorno |
1:2 | Round 24 |
| 09/02/14 | SA | Livorno – Genoa |
0:1 | Round 23 |
Here are the last 3 games of NAPOLI: 1 win, 2 draw
| 27/02/14 | UELK | Napoli – Swansea |
3:1 | 1 |
| 24/02/14 | SA | Napoli – Genoa |
1:1 | Round 25 |
| 20/02/14 | UELK | Swansea – Napoli |
0:0 | 1 |
Click the video to watch the highlights of the game, Livorno vs Napoli, Sunday 2 March 2014, Armando Picchi Stadium, Livorno, Italy, Serie A Week 26
to be added
Photo livornocalcio.it
Italian Serie A Week 26
Livorno 1 – 1 Napoli
Sunday 2 March 2014
Armando Picchi Stadium
Livorno, Italy
18:30
Referee: MAZZOLENI
Assistants: DI FIORE – DOBOSZ
Fourth Official: : TONOLINI
ADD1: DOVERI
ADD2: DI BELLO
Attendance:
Goals:
Official formations – lineups:
Livorno (3-5-2): Bardi; Ceccherini, Emerson, Coda; Mbaye, Benassi, Biagianti, Greco, Mesbah; Paulinho, Belfodil.
Subs: Anania, Aldegani, Rinaudo, Valentini, Gemiti, Castellini, Piccini, Duncan, Mosquera, Emeghara, Borja.
Coach: Domenico Di Carlo.
Napoli (4-2-3-1): Reina; Maggio, Fernández, Britos, Ghoulam; Inler, Jorginho; Mertens, Hamšík, Callejón; Pandev.
Subs: Colombo, Contini, Henrique, Réveillère, Radošević, Behrami, Bariti, Džemaili, Insigne, Zapata.
Coach: Rafael Benítez.
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Italian Serie A Week 26 Livorno 1 – 1 Napoli Sunday 2 March 2014 Armando Picchi Stadium Livorno, Italy 18:30 Referee: MAZZOLENI |
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| Livorno | Match Stats |
Napoli |
| 1 | Goals | 1 |
| 10 (4) | Shots (on goal) | 16 (7) |
| 20 | Fouls | 10 |
| 4 | Corner kicks | 4 |
| 2 | Offsides | 0 |
| 34% | Ball Possession | 66% |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 6 | Saves | 4 |
What do you think of the results? Which players surprised you or disappointed you and why?