The in-form attacker had a slight dig at the Italian champions after he put in another quality performance
Australian rising star Adam Taggart couldn’t resist a jibe at Juventus following his goal against the European giants at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Friday evening.
The 26-year-old striker scored the K-League All Stars third goal in a 3-3 draw with Maurizio Sarri’s team and impressed as he led the line against star Old Lady defenders Leonardo Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt, however Cristiano Ronaldo did not leave the bench.
When asked to compare Juve’s team with the standard in the K-League, Taggart was surprised at how much space he was given by the opposition defenders.
“To be honest, it felt a lot easier playing out there [than in the K-League],” Taggart told Goal post-match.
Adam Taggart has just scored against Juventus 😍
Get this man in the Socceroos team as the No.9 🔥pic.twitter.com/7TLh11S9BK
— Kieran Francis (@kieran_francis) July 26, 2019
“[In the] K-League, as soon as you get the ball there’s three people around you. When you play against European sides, and what I’ve been used to in the past, it’s a bit more relaxed.
“You have got a little more time on the ball to make up your mind and really just play your game.”
Taggart was voted into the K-League All Stars team by fans after his incredible form in the Korean first division for Suwon Bluewings – where his 12 goals in 19 matches has him currently as the league’s top scorer.
The centre-forward was impressed with how the K-League’s best squared up against the Italian champions and revealed it was a pleasure to take the field against so many quality players.
“Both sides put on a good performance but especially the All Stars. I thought we did really well against a top side – one of the best sides in the world,” Taggart said.
“I think everyone can be really proud of themselves and you can tell that everyone looked as if they enjoyed themselves and had a lot of fun.”
Taggart’s hot streak in front of goal has him primed to become the Socceroos’ starting striker for September 10’s World Cup qualifier against Kuwait.
He was only used off the bench for 28 minutes in June’s friendly against South Korea with Mitchell Duke, who is out for two months with a knee injury, starting that match at the point of a front three.
That substitute appearance was Taggart’s first for the Socceroos since he started against Spain in the 2014 World Cup group stage, having just missed selection for the 2019 Asian Cup despite starting the A-League season in form for Brisbane Roar.
Taggart burst on to the scene as 20-year-old with the Newcastle Jets during the 2013-14 A-League season, scoring 16 goals in 25 matches to earn a ticket to Brazil for the World Cup.
A move to Championship side Fulham subsequently followed, where he failed to establish himself and was shipped out on loan to Scottish side Dundee United.
After a return to the A-League with Perth Glory in 2016, Taggart began to mature as a prolific striker, scoring 20 goals in 36 matches across two seasons before making the move to Brisbane Roar.
He struck 11 times for the Roar before Suwon eventually swooped in to bring him to Korea.
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