Livorno vs Ghivizzano Borgo Mozzano

Livorno struck first inside a quarter of an hour. Peralta, the experienced Argentine forward signed in the off-season, stepped up to convert a penalty after a Livorno attack was halted illegally in the box. The Amaranto held the 1–0 lead into half-time, though they had reason to feel they should have doubled it: Davide Gentile had a goal disallowed in the 20th minute, and Luca Bonassi forced a sharp save from Ghiviborgo goalkeeper Vid Pertovt with a curling effort aimed at the top corner.

Ghiviborgo grew into the game after the break. Matteo Bongiorni struck the crossbar early in the second half, and Moussa Seck Ndoye — back after a season split between L'Aquila and Albalonga — tested Livorno's second-half goalkeeper with a powerful effort. The equaliser arrived with five minutes remaining in regulation: Grilli, a 2004-born midfielder, sent the keeper the wrong way from the penalty spot to make it 1–1.

Livorno's failure to convert their first-half superiority into a second goal proved decisive. Ghiviborgo, playing a high defensive line level with the midfield, grew in confidence as Livorno's largely experimental second XI — featuring five Primavera graduates and trialists — struggled to maintain control. The 85th-minute penalty, conceded by a tiring Livorno defence, was the moment the game truly turned, but the seeds were sown earlier when Livorno passed up multiple chances to put the game to bed.

• Diego Peralta (Livorno): Composed finish from the spot in the 14th minute. The 32-year-old brought experience to a raw Livorno forward line missing around ten first-team players.
• Andrea Grilli (Ghiviborgo): The 21-year-old held his nerve to convert the 85th-minute equaliser, earning his side a draw their second-half performance merited.
• Davide Gentile (Livorno): Deployed as a right-sided centre-back in a four-man defence, he had a goal disallowed but was solid defensively alongside new signing Tommaso Pittino.

Player of the match: Andrea Grilli — decisive from the spot and a constant threat in midfield.

Livorno recorded eight corners to Ghiviborgo's one (6–1 in the first half), reflecting territorial dominance that did not translate into a secure lead. The single second-half corner for Ghiviborgo, however, coincided with their best spell of the match. Livorno's 4–3 offside count (3–2 in the first half) suggests both sides attempted to play behind defensive lines, though with limited precision in the final third — typical for a team in its first week of pre-season training.

For Livorno, this was a first run-out under Lucarelli — back for his second stint as head coach — with the squad barely a week into pre-season. The club has publicly acknowledged it is a "cantiere aperto" (open construction site), with around ten new signings still expected before the season starts. Livorno's competitive opener is the Coppa Italia Serie C tie against Reggiana on 15 August 2026, followed by the Serie C debut at home to Torres on 23 August.

Ghiviborgo, who play in Serie D, are further along in their squad building and showed it with a cohesive second-half display that unsettled Livorno's less experienced players.

A pre-season friendly that told the story of where both sides are in their preparations. Livorno showed glimpses of Lucarelli's ideas — quick transitions, a high press — but the squad is clearly incomplete. Ghiviborgo's organisation and fitness, ahead by virtue of continuity, earned them a deserved draw. No betting significance attaches to a first friendly, but the pattern of a Livorno side that creates but does not finish may be worth watching once the competitive fixtures begin.