Sandro Tonali put in a brilliant performance as he bagged a brace at the Bentegodi and further cemented his place as one of the integral cogs in Pioli’s midfield. As a result, Tonali was, according to the Opta data, the MVP of Serie A matchday 36. In the Sunday-night fixture of the last round of league matches, the Rossoneri’s regista scored two goals which saw Pioli’s outfit come from behind to beat Hellas Verona and maintain top spot with two games to go. Sandro set down a marker early on when he received a long kick-out from Maignan, beat Ilic and stuck it into the back of the net, only for VAR to chalk it off for offside.

He certainly wanted big celebrations on his birthday and went on the search for more gifts. The first came in added time of the first half; Leão drove down the left and played it across the face of goal for Tonali to cancel out Faraoni’s opener. The second came just after the break and was almost a carbon copy of the first goal as the Portuguese sent up Tonali to score again. The 22-year-old Lodi native thus became the first AC Milan player in history to score a multiple-goal haul in Serie A on his birthday, as well as the youngest midfielder with at least five goals in the league this season.

Tonali’s two goals at the Bentegodi allowed AC Milan to respond to Inter’s win against Empoli but his performance was so much more than that. He had a 100% conversion rate, scoring from both of his attempts – another good night in front of goal after scoring against Lazio at the Olimpico. Furthermore, he ranked second for his team on the night for recoveries (5, behind central defenders Tomori and Kalulu). So to sum up, the weight of his contribution in midfield is indisputable.

 

His stats from the game against Verona

Goals: 2

Total shots: 2

Shots on target: 2

Recoveries: 5