Napoli forward Dries Mertens celebrates his hat-trick in their 6-0 win over Bologna in the Italian League on Tuesday. (Photo: AFP)
Napoli forward Dries Mertens celebrates his hat-trick in their 6-0 win over Bologna in the Italian League on Tuesday. (Photo: AFP)
Dries Mertens scored a hat-trick and Manolo Gabbiadini notched a brace as Napoli kept their faint Serie A title hopes alive as Bologna were thrashed 6-0 on Tuesday.
David Lopez rounded off the scoring a minute form time with a fortuitous goal as his prod rebounded off Bologna goalkeeper Antonio Mirante, hit him in the chest and the bounced in.
Juventus could have won a fifth straight title with victory over Lazio on Wednesday had Napoli lost.
That would have given the Old Lady of Turin a 12-point lead with just four matches left, and as they have the edge on the southerners in head-to-head record, they would have been champions.
Instead, Napoli live to fight another day as Gabbiadini struck twice in the first half, cutting Juve’s lead, for 24 hours at least, to six points.
Gabbiadini fired home from the centre of the box from Mertens’s pass after just 10 minutes.
He doubled Napoli’s advantage form the penalty spot 10 minutes before the break after Kevin Constant had brought down Jose Callejon.
Any chance of a Bologna comeback was snuffed out just before the hour mark when Marek Hamsik teed up Mertens to fire home from the left side of the box.
Napoli, who after the game maintained their media boycott, added three more goals in the final 10 minutes.
