A.S. LIVORNO CALCIO

[D-Kin]

Livorno (probable): Amelia; Grandoni, Kuffour, Galante, Pasquale; Filippini, Morrone, Passoni, Cesar; Fiore; Lucarelli

Espanyol (probable): Gorka; Velasco, Arque, Torrejon, Chica; Moises, Costa; Rufete, Luis Garcia, Riera; Pandiani

[Forza_Roma]

Hopefully Fiore and Lucarelli play well, as well as Amelia. I would really like to see Livorno go as far as possible.

[D-Kin]

It looks like Livorno will use Fiore in a more central position, something Torino didn't do.

I've always preferred him as a central playmaker rather than a winger.

[Forza_Roma]

0-1 For Espanyol.......Penalty Pandiani 27' ...not good news for Livorno

[Forza_Roma]

Now into the Second half......

[Forza_Roma]

0-2 Espanyol Goal by Moha 59' min

[Forza_Roma]

1-2 Goal by Galante 81' still time......

[Forza_Roma]

FT 1-2 For Espanyol....

[Forza_Roma]

The goal was big for Livorno...gives them some hope

UEFA Cup, Rd 3 - 14/2/07
Livorno 1 - 2 Espanyol
Pandiani pen 27 (E), Moha 59 (E), Galante 82 (L)
Stadio Picchi

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Livorno face an uphill struggle to qualify after a 2-1 home UEFA Cup defeat to Espanyol, but were boosted by Fabio Galante's late goal.


The arena did not pass the strict new safety requirements, so the first leg of the Round 3 clash was played behind closed doors.


It was one of the Amaranto’s most experienced players who allowed the Spaniards to take the lead, as Ghanaian international defender Samuel Kuffour brought down Chica for Walter Pandiani to convert a penalty.


Marco Amelia was also kept busy throughout the first half, fingertipping a Mohamed ‘Moha’ El Yaagoubi strike out of the top corner and parrying a Coromimas effort.


Cristiano Lucarelli’s late goal in the Group stage allowed Livorno to get this far and he almost equalised on the stroke of half-time with a trademark header.


January signing Stefano Fiore brought a save out of Gorka after the break, but Espanyol were always more dangerous and Jarque thumped the crossbar.


Moments later it was 2-0, as Moha drilled a left-foot finish into the bottom corner past Amelia’s outstretched hand.


Paulinho and Dario Passoni also had efforts for the home side, while Amelia kept out Pandiani and Corominas.


Livorno gave themselves slender hope of staying in the competition when Galante hit the back of the net eight minutes from time. The veteran defender rose to nod in a Passoni corner kick.


Goalkeeper Amelia ran up for the final corners in stoppages, but they couldn't bundle the ball over the line. This means the Amaranto are going to have to win in Spain if they are to continue in Europe this term.


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Livorno: Amelia; Grandoni, Kuffour, Galante, Pasquale; Filippini, Morrone (Coppola 72), Passoni, Cesar (Paulinho 60); Fiore (Pfertzel 77); Lucarelli


Espanyol: Gorka; Velasco, Jarque, Lacruz, Chica; Ito, Costa, Corominas (Moises 88); Moha (Riera 60), Rufete; Pandiani (Luis Garcia 76)


Ref: Larroy (Fra)

channel4.com - Football Italia

[Trim]

Originally Posted by Forza_Roma

The goal was big for Livorno...gives them some hope

Hopes? Not really. They lost home, they can't expect a mircale in Spain.

[Forza_Roma]

Miracles can happen.....they can't give up yet!

also, i wonder how many keepers have scored for coming up into play from a corner??? Anyone know? I will try and find some stats tomorrow...but i'm sure Joel aka "the stats machine" has them on file somewhere lol

ps-have to figure out what happened to my sign. pic sorry for the waste of space.

[Jager]

Unfortunately I think they are done. That is result does not bold well for them.

[D-Kin]

I'll be surprised if they go through now, they need to score at least twice in Spain and keep a clean sheet. The goal has given them some hope but it's not looking good at the moment.

[D-Kin]

Originally Posted by Forza_Roma

also, i wonder how many keepers have scored for coming up into play from a corner??? Anyone know? I will try and find some stats tomorrow...but i'm sure Joel aka "the stats machine" has them on file somewhere lol

As far as Italian teams go Amelia's goal in the UEFA Cup earlier in the season is the only one that springs to mind. There haven't been many in recent years.

[D-Kin]

Livorno Coach Daniele Arrigoni was disappointed after the 2-1 home defeat to Espanyol in the UEFA Cup tie. “We played well until their first goal,” he said.

The Amaranto were forced to play the first leg of the third round clash in an empty Armando Picchi, seeing as the arena did not pass the new safety regulations.

“We did well until they scored their first goal, then we were too naïve,” explained Arrigoni.

“It was a bit like the match against Rangers, we managed to play well until we conceded a goal, then something changed. Espanyol did well, but we created several scoring opportunities in the first half as well,” continued the Coach.

“I am a bit worried, lately we are making several mistakes that could be avoided. Did the empty stands make the difference? I don’t know if the final result would have been different, but I am sure that they missed the spectators too.

“However, you must never underestimate the strength of your opponents,” concluded Arrigoni.

Coach Ernesto Valverde was pleased with his side’s performance, although he is aware that Fabio Galante’s late goal keeps Livorno’s hopes of progressing to the next round still alive.

“We obtained a good result, but I am sorry that we weren’t able to increase our lead and end the tie,” said the tactician.

“Scoring two goals away from home is always great and we are in charge now, but we have not won anything yet. We must not be over-confident and we have to go into the second leg looking to win,” he continued.

“The empty stands were a bit surprising at first, but after five minutes we focused only on the match. We did not allow ourselves to be affected by this fact, we knew that everyone was supporting us back home.”

The second leg will be played on 22 February and the aggregate winners will face either CSKA Moscow or Maccabi Haifa in the Round of 16, with the first leg scheduled on March 8.

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