With Madrid match near, Napoli routs Bologna 7-1

Less than two weeks before facing the European champion, Napoli extended its unbeaten streak to 17 matches in all competitions with a 7-1 rout at Bologna in Serie A on Saturday.

Dries Mertens and Marek Hamsik each scored hat tricks and Lorenzo Insigne also found the target in a match that saw both sides reduced to 10 men before halftime and a Bologna penalty blocked.

Napoli has only one more match — at home against Genoa on Friday — before traveling to Madrid for the first leg of the Champions League’s knockout phase five days later.

With 109 goals in all competitions, Hamsik moved within six of Diego Maradona’s club record.

At the Renato Dall’Ara stadium, Hamsik opened the scoring four minutes in, diving forward to head in a bouncing cross from Jose Callejon.

Two minutes later, Insigne finished off a counterattack that began with goalkeeper Pepe Reina, using expert control near midfield then shooting from the edge of the area.

Shortly after the half-hour mark, Mertens curled a free kick into the top right corner.

Hamsik used one touch to finish after being set up by a no-look pass from Mertens in the 70th, then the Napoli captain scored again with a long, curling shot four minutes later.