Melbourne City coach John van’t Schip lauded Bruno Fornaroli’s professionalism after his star striker broke the record for most goals in a Hyundai A-League regular season.
Fornaroli surpassed the previous high mark of 19 goals as his hattrick ensured City remain in the title race with a 3-0 win over Sydney FC.
MATCH REPORT: Fornaroli hat-trick sees City sink Sky Blues
Speaking after the match to Fox Sports, van’t Schip paid tribute to the Uruguayan’s dedication.
“He’s a great player, he’s fantastic off the pitch for the group, works hard. But he’s also really a matchday guy,” van’t Schip said on Matchday Saturday.
“He can really focus on playing a game. He knows what’s needed to win a game and I think that’s a big plus.
“He’s of course massively important to the team.”
The hosts were fortunate to enter half-time with a 1-0 lead after Fornaroli’s stirring opener halted Sydney’s early ascendency.
City boss van’t Schip was relieved to seal a “desperately” needed three points following last week’s defeat away to Wellington Phoenix.
“It wasn’t our best game. I think (in) the first half we were slow, Sydney had more possession and we scored actually on the break,” he said.
“The second we got more control and played better.
“It was a tough game. It looked maybe easy the 3-0 but in total, if you look at it, it was not easy at all.”
