Livorno continue solid start

Livorno continued their solid start to the new Serie A season with a battling 1-1 draw against Cagliari.

Livorno continued their solid start to the new Serie A season with a battling 1-1 draw against Cagliari at the Armando Picchi stadium on Wednesday evening. Andrea Luci opened the scoring for the hosts midway through the first half but the visitors pulled level thanks to Victor Ibarbo's 53rd-minute goal. Although Cagliari looked the most likely to add to the scoring, Livorno's backline held firm for a deserved point. The result leaves Livorno, who gained promotion to Italy's top flight this summer, comfortably in the top half of the standings. The Tuscan outfit are on eight points from five games while Cagliari, who host Inter Milan on Sunday, are two points further back. The hosts made the breakthrough in the 23rd minute when Cagliari defender Danilo Avelar's poor clearance in the box left an unmarked Luci with the easiest of tap-ins. Avelar almost made amends in the 36th minute when he forced Livorno goalkeeper Francesco Bardi to make a full-stretch save to clear his 30-yard attempt. Cagliari continued to press forward and came close to equalising before the break when Davide Astori got his head behind Daniele Conti's cross but his effort went wide. The visitors' efforts paid off early in the second half when Nene fed Ibarbo in the box and his right-footed shot towards the near post beat Bardi. Ibarbo almost put his team ahead after the hour mark but his 12-yard effort was saved by Bardi. Substitute Mauricio Pinilla wasted a good chance when he headed Matias Cabrera's cross just wide of the far post. Livorno had the last chance of the game but Emerson's bullet strike from outside the area was kept out by Cagliari goalkeeper Michael Agazzi.