Jens Castrop After World Cup Debut: "I Conceded Due to My Mistake... Will Focus if We Reach Round of 32"

Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach), the 'wing-back' for the South Korean national football team who made his World Cup debut as a second-half substitute in the final group stage match of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, expressed his regret, admitting that his own mistake led to the goal conceded.

The South Korean national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, lost 0-1 to South Africa in their final Group A match held at Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico, on the 25th (KST).

The national team, which could have secured a spot in the round of 32 by finishing second in the group with just a draw, missed the opportunity to advance on their own terms and must now wait to see the results of other third-placed teams across the groups.

Castrop, who started on the bench, was substituted in for Lee Tae-seok (Austria Wien) at the start of the second half. He played as a left wing-back and actively participated in the attack but failed to record any offensive points.

After the match, Castrop met with reporters in the mixed zone and bowed his head, saying, "I am happy to have made my World Cup debut, but unfortunately, the team lost 0-1. It is truly disappointing."

He added, "It is a disappointing result, but now we have to watch the situations in other groups. If we advance to the round of 32, I will focus 100% on the next match."

When asked about the instructions he received from Coach Hong, he explained, "Since South Africa was playing with a back four, he told me to be aggressive against their defensive line. I tried to move actively by delivering crosses or penetrating the space behind the defense. Those parts went well, but unfortunately, we couldn't score, and we conceded a goal during a counterattack."

Castrop specifically noted, "Playing on the pitch is very different from watching from the outside. Everything looks easy from the outside, but on the pitch, it is very difficult to sprint or move aggressively due to the high humidity and weather conditions."

He continued, "In the situation where we conceded, I didn't close my legs in time when the opponent shot, and it eventually led to a goal. That was my mistake.

However, on the pitch, every single moment is a little bit more difficult," he added.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.