Slovakian international Marek Hamsik and Belgian star Dries Mertens both hit hat-tricks as SSC Napoli routed Bologna 7-1 on Saturday to go second in Serie A, three points behind leaders Juventus ahead of the rest of the weekend’s games.
Napoli have now scored 55 goals in 23 league games this season, although Maurizio Sarri’s men are still outsiders to pip Juve for the title with the defending champions having two games in hand.
Hamsik’s goals included a fine diving header and a sublime long-distance drive as he took his Napoli career total to 108 goals, passing Attila Sallustro, a star of the 1930s.
Photo: EPA
Only Diego Maradona has scored more goals for Napoli than Hamsik.
Hamsik said that the victory is a huge boost for his side, who face Real Madrid in the Champions League later this month.
“Real Madrid will think we are a strong side and if we play like this, we can fight it out with anyone,” Hamsik said.
Photo: AP
“We are all players who focus on movement and that can hurt opposition defenses,” he said,
Mertens took his season total to a league-leading 16 goals, with 12 of those coming in the past eight matches. He has scored a remarkable three hat-tricks this term.
Napoli’s other goal on Saturday came from Lorenzo Insigne, who hit the target from the penalty spot.
“We have scored many goals, yes, but in the last 12 games it’s 10 wins and two draws. This is why we have to focus only on what we do and ignore the other results,” Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.
“After a game like this I feel a little angry, as we created perhaps fewer scoring opportunities tonight than against [US Citta di] Palermo, but then we scored one and tonight seven,” he said.
The only drawback for Napoli was a red card for Jose Callejon, while Bologna’s Adam Masina was also dismissed.
Bologna coach Roberto Donadoni said he knew it would not be his night when his team found themselves 2-0 down within six minutes at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara.
His mood did not improve when Mattia Destro had a penalty saved.
“Our evening started badly and it was all downhill from there,” Donadoni said.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was