Sandro Tonali describes the moment he took the ‘sneaky’ throw-in to surprise Empoli and why he wishes he hadn’t been given the Milan captain’s armband amid an injury crisis.
The Rossoneri broke the deadlock with a smart move, as Tonali spotted Rafael Leao in acres of space and sent the quick throw-in his way, then setting up Ante Rebic for the tap-in.
You cannot be caught offside from a throw-in, so the Empoli defence was caught out.
“I was there and the coach gave me the ball. It’s one of those things you have to try in the moment and hope it goes well,” Tonali told Sky Sport Italia.
Empoli coach Paolo Zanetti was furious, as the throw-in was taken 10.64 metres from where the ball had gone out of play.
“I didn’t really look at the position, usually it’s the referee who stops play if you’ve got it really wrong. The goal came from this… sneaky throw-in. It was the right thing to do at the time.”
Because of so many injuries, which saw Davide Calabria, Alexis Saelemaekers and Simon Kjaer go off, Tonali ended the match wearing the captain’s armband for the first time.
“I would’ve preferred not to wear it in those circumstances, seeing Calabria and Kjaer injured. I am happy for the victory, but it’s sad to have those injuries.”
Tonali had to pull out of international duty with Italy due to his own muscular issue and admits there is still something he needs to improve in his game.
“I don’t score many goals, but you can only improve by playing regularly.”
When Tonali signed for Milan rather than Inter, seems to have been a turning point in Serie A fortunes in recent years.