NAPLES, Italy — When Dries Mertens scores Napoli’s first goal, Stadio San Paolo’s creaking stands rattle and shudder with the noise. It is not a cheer: a cheer is something joyful and merry and high-pitched. This is different: deeper, more guttural, rooted as much in release and euphoria, caught somewhere between a roar and a howl. It hits you like a wave.
In the commotion, Mertens runs to one corner, pursued by his teammates. In another, Daniele Bellini counts to three. Briefly, he clenches his fist in celebration. Then he walks to his iPhone, mounted on a tripod, and turns on the camera.