Mertens finishes off brilliant buildup for Belgium

European Championship Qualifying: Dries Mertens (11') Belgium 1-0 Kazakhstan
European Championship Qualifying: Dries Mertens (11') Belgium 1-0 Kazakhstan
LONDON -- Chelsea star Eden Hazard does not believe Maurizio Sarri will be able to transform him into the kind of prolific scoring false nine that Dries Mertens blossomed into under the Italian at Napoli.
Hazard passed the century mark for Chelsea goals in a 2-1 win over Watford at Vicarage Road on Wednesday, having been deployed in the middle of Sarri's three-man attack for the fourth consecutive Premier League game.
Those four appearances have yielded three goals and three assists for Hazard --...
LIVERPOOL, England -- Virgil van Dijk believes his challenge on Dries Mertens early in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Napoli on Tuesday was a fair tackle.
Mohamed Salah scored the only goal of the game in the 34th minute at Anfield to send Liverpool into the round-of-16 of the Champions League, although they could have been down to 10 men before the goal was scored.
With 13 minutes on the clock in the must-win tie, Van Dijk slid in on Mertens, winning the ball before catching the forward high on the ankle...
Three goals and an assist? No one was better than Dries Mertens vs. Empoli. Our global editors pick their top 10 performers from the weekend.
Also receiving votes: Felipe Anderson (West Ham), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Vincenzo Grifo (Hoffenheim), Joelinton (Hoffenheim), Maxi Gomez (Celta Vigo).
Let us know what you think of the countdown by commenting below or on Twitter using #ESPNFCrankings.
Belgium scored nine goals in their three World Cup group games, more than any other country, and forward Dries Mertens said on Saturday he was motivated by more than just winning the trophy.
Mertens, scorer of a superb volley against Panama that opened Belgium's account in Russia, joked that friends back home were counting on him to help the team hit a target of 16 goals to make good on a retailer's special World Cup promotion.
Asked by reporters at their training camp near Moscow about Belgium's...
Things change in the blink of an eye in football. The Football Whispers Index takes the latest transfer rumours and gives them a score out of five; the higher the score, the more realistic and reliable the Whisper.
Here are today's top five emerging whispers. And keep an eye on Transfer Talk for all the latest gossip.
Ever Banega to Arsenal
Arsenal have already completed deals for Stephan Lichtsteiner and Bernd Leno this summer, and now the North Londoners have reportedly turned their...