Milan lost 4-3 at Fiorentina last weekend but then kept its Champions League hopes alive with a victory at Atlético Madrid. Milan is now only a point above third-place Inter Milan after the defending champion won 2-0 at Venezia on Saturday. Simon Kjær's own-goal saw Sassuolo lead at halftime.ĭomenico Berardi then extended Sassuolo’s advantage and Milan’s misery was complete when Romagnoli was show a straight red card 13 minutes from time. Lazio, which is led by former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri, slipped seven points below fourth place.Īfter going unbeaten for nearly a third of the season, AC Milan had its second straight Serie A loss.Īlessio Romagnoli headed Milan in front but its lead lasted just three minutes before Gianluca Scamacca leveled. The 34-year-old Mertens was given a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 64th.Īnother delightful goal from Ruiz that arrowed into the top corner from outside the area capped a memorable night for Napoli. It was a club record-extending 139th goal for Napoli from the Belgium forward. The second of Mertens' goals, in the 29th minute, was a brilliant effort from the edge of the area that curled into the top left corner. Maradona led Napoli to its only Serie A titles in 19 and is considered a god-like figure in the southern city.Ī statue to the former Argentina player and coach was unveiled in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, while the players wore special shirts.Īnd Napoli got off to a quick start as goals from Zieliński and Mertens put it 2-0 up with less than 10 minutes on the clock. It was a special night for Napoli fans as the match came three days after the one-year anniversary of Maradona's death. MILAN (AP) - Dries Mertens scored twice as Napoli beat Lazio 4-0 on Sunday to take the outright lead of Serie A on the night it paid tribute to soccer great Diego Maradona.Īs well as Mertens - who has taken over several of Maradona's records at Napoli - Piotr Zieliński and Fabián Ruiz also netted to help Napoli move three points clear of second-place AC Milan, which earlier lost 3-1 at home to Sassuolo.