Mertens scored two goals in Napoli’s 2-1 win at Roma.
Napoli defeated Roma 2-1 thanks to two goals from the Belgian, Dries Mertens. Here are five things we learned from the encounter.
5. Not all Celebrations are Equal
After Mertens scored his first goal, he celebrated in a pretty odd way. He crawled up to the corner flag and lifted his leg, mimicking the action of a dog peeing. While it may not be the best celebration in the world, it was certainly one of the funniest and most unique we’ve seen. Luckily, Mertens won’t have to be too embarassed, considering he did grab the two goals that gave Napoli the win in a very important match.
4. Roma Need to be Careful
Roma are just two points ahead of Napoli after the loss, and they will need to get some points in their next few matchups if they wish to hold onto second place. Third place in the Serie a has to go through playoffs to qualify for the Champions League which is why Roma currently find themselves in the Europa League.
Roma do not wish to end up in the same position as last year, and the race will be tight up until the end of the season for second place.
3. Not All Good for Napoli
After everything seemed to be going so well for Napoli, striker and match hero Dries Mertens came off after suffering what seemed to be a calf injury. The Belgian has been their best player this season, and his status could be in doubt for the match against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Napoli have to be praying for the Belgian’s quick return; he is the focal point of this team, and if the injury is anything serious, it will spell trouble for the visitors.
2. Napoli Turn Tides on Defense
Napoli were solid defensively for most of the match, almost surrendering their lead in the final minutes. If not for Reina, Napoli would not have gotten all three points. Nevertheless, they put up with Roma’s pressure for the first 80 minutes, and they got the results from it.
Napoli aren’t the best defensive team, but they flipped the tides on Saturday, using their offensive firepower to overwhelm the Roma defense.
1. Mertens is Not Dried Up
As always, we have to have that one horribly bad pun in every article, so here it is. As always, I apologize.
Mertens scored a brace against Napoli, bringing his tally to 15 goals in his last 15 appearances, a hugely impressive feat for a player who only scored five last year for Napoli. He has adapted extremely well to his new position as a striker, and the goals keep on rushing in. The brace brings him up to 18 goals for the season to go along with four assists, placing him just one away from the top scorer spot.
Roma XI: Szczesny 5.5; Rudiger 5.5, Manolas 5.5, Fazio 4.5(Bruno Peres 52′, 5.5), Juan Jesus 5; Strootman 6, De Rossi 6 (Paredes 79′, 5.5); Perotti 6, Nainggolan 6, El Shaarawy 5.5 (Salah 52′, 6); Dzeko 5.5
Unused Subs: Alisson, Lobont, Rui, Emerson, Vermaelen, Grenier, Gerson, Totti
Napoli XI: Reina 7; Hysaj 5.5, Albiol 6, Koulibaly 6.5, Ghoulam 5; Rog 6.5, Jorginho 6 (Diawara 66′, 6), Hamsik 6.5 (Milik 79′, 6); Callejon 6.5, Mertens 7.5 (Zielinski, 6), Insigne 6.5
Unused Subs: Rafael, Sepe, Maksimovic, Strinic, Maggio, Chiriches, Allan, Giaccherini, Pavoletti
Referee: Luca Banti
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