On an emotionally charged evening, Serie A leaders Napoli exuded pure joy, celebrating double-pointer Dries Mertens and extending their league lead against Lazio. All this in front of an unveiled bronze statue of club legend Diego Armando Maradona
How many stories can a game deliver in advance? The answer in Naples: many!
For the home southern Italians’ clash with Lazio first marked the return of Rome’s current coach Maurizio Sarri, who had taken SSC’s attacking football to a new level between 2015 and 2018. Then the two goal scorers Ciro Immobile, Lazio’s record scorer with 163 goals and once born in Naples, and Dries Mertens met. The latter’s nickname is “Ciro” – and at the same time the Belgian has long been the Partenopei’s record goal scorer with 137 goals, ahead of Marek Hamsik (121) and Diego Maradona (115).
Mertens enchants Napoli
Ahead of the game because the Belgian, brought in for the injured Osimhen (multiple fractures to his face), was to work his magic in a big way in the first 45 minutes, already taking his tally here to 139 goals for Napoli. The 34-year-old attacker, already under contract with the club at Vesuvius since 2013, first initiated the 1:0 with a beautiful solo from sidekick Zielinski (7th minute).
Then the technically gifted professional, after receiving a pass from captain Insigne, with whom he has been on virtually blind terms for many years, enchanted the crowd at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium and finished confidently to make it 2-0 at the top of the half (10th). And then Mertens fired a pass from Lozano into the top left corner from a standing position and unstoppable. The former Bayern goalkeeper Reina was mightily served (29.).
An evening in honour of Maradona
Generally, all Lazio was served, the guest did not seem awake enough and only came close to scoring with an Immobile action (21st), a Luis Alberto bullet (25th, top save by SSC keeper Ospina) and a crossbar header by Acerbi (26th).
Otherwise, however, the Neapolitans’ rousing performance dominated the proceedings on an already emotionally charged evening, as the club legend Diego Armando Maradona, who died a year ago on 25 November 2020, was commemorated before kick-off and a large bronze statue of the Argentine was unveiled in front of a sea of lights in the stadium. Fittingly, the Partenopei also turned out that evening in special jerseys of the man and 1986 World Cup winner who had helped launch this proud club’s only two Serie A championships to date, in 1987 and 1990.
Ruiz has another banger up his sleeve
Not surprisingly, not much happened after the break, partly because the Biancocelesti, who lacked ideas, surrendered more and more to their fate. But there was still one highlight for the home side: Fabian Ruiz slammed a long-range shot into the left corner for the 4-0 final score, but his Spanish compatriot Reina was unable to do anything about it (85th minute).
