Dries Mertens is criticized for his “dirty” action in Turkey, although he puts out the fire in an original way | Foreign Football

LOOK. The phase in question: Mertens hits the ground in the box

Five minutes before the end, Mertens stole the ball from Hatayspor defender Nikola Maksimović, his former teammate at Napoli. Our compatriot dived into the box, after which he hit the ball over goalkeeper Erce Kardesler near the back line and hit the ground. Galatasaray did not get a penalty, but they did get a corner.

The phase has earned Mertens criticism in Turkey. Many people on social media think that our compatriot dived very ostentatiously. Others point to the attacker’s left leg. According to some, Mertens deliberately let that hang a bit, in order to hit Kardesler’s head. “Mertens dives first and then just kicks Kardesler in the face. A dirty action,” said, among others, on X (formerly Twitter).

Mertens effectively hit Kardesler’s head for a moment, but in the images above he seems to stretch his leg instinctively in an attempt to avoid the keeper. That didn’t work and Kardesler also showed his displeasure, but Mertens extinguished the fire in an original way. He gave the Turk a kiss on the cheek.

Fenerbahçe fan accounts in particular are eagerly targeting the Leuven resident. Not entirely coincidental, because on Sunday Mertens and Galatasaray will play the Turkish Super Cup against Michy Batshuayi’s team. As a subscriber, you can watch that match live and exclusively on HLN. Our broadcast, with commentary by Matthias De Vlieger, starts at 8:25 PM. You will find all information HERE.

LOOK. Mertens’ corner that resulted in Mauro Icardi’s 1-0