THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NAPLES, Italy — Ezequiel Lavezzi scored twice in two minutes to lead Napoli to a 3-1 victory Saturday over Udinese in the Serie A.
Lavezzi, who had not got a goal in 2 1/2 months, scored in the 74th and 75th minutes. The Argentine also provided the cross that Udinese defender Cristian Zapata knocked in for an own-goal in the third minute.
Napoli attacked from the start and hit the post twice before Zapata’s own-goal. Udinese striker Simone Pepe equalized in the eighth.
Napoli played with 10 men from the 36th after Paolo Cannavaro was expelled for a last-man foul. The teams were even strength again from the 60th after Pepe was ejected for a second yellow card.
Udinese remains in fifth place with 33 points, four points behind fourth-place Fiorentina and the last Champions League berth. Fiorentina hosts AC Milan, which has 30 points, on Sunday.
In Saturday’s other match, Fabrizio Miccoli scored to give Palermo a 1-0 victory over Livorno.
Miccoli’s goal came in the 76th minute with a shot from just outside the area with Livorno goalkeeper Marco Amelia partially screened by several players. Three of Miccoli’s six goals this year have been against Livorno.
Palermo keeper Alberto Fontana blocked a penalty shot by Francesco Tavano at the end of the first half.
Fontana had to make several saves in the first half, including a shot by Tavano in the 44th, but the visitors failed to create any good chances after the interval.
Palermo had lost its last three Serie A matches and dropped down the table.
The win gives Palermo coach Francesco Guidolin some breathing space after a streak of six winless games in the Serie A and Italian Cup. Guidolin had managed just two wins since taking over the team at the end of November for his fourth stint in charge. He coached the team in 2004-05 and 2006-07 when he was fired in April and rehired in May.
"After the penalty conceded to Livorno we could have fallen apart, but Fontana blocking the shot gave us the necessary calm we needed," Guidolin said. "I think we deserved to win this game."
Palermo has 28 points and is 22 back of league leader Inter Milan, which hosts second-to-last Empoli Sunday. Livorno remains at 21 points.
Also Sunday, it’s: Parma vs. Atalanta; Juventus vs. Cagliari; Genoa vs. Catania; Siena vs. AS Roma; Lazio vs. Sampdoria; and Reggina vs. Torino.