Will Castrop, Who Chose His 'Mother's Country,' Make His Debut in the Third Match?

[Anchor]

One of the key points to watch in the match against South Africa is whether Jens Castrop, the first foreign-born dual-citizen player in the history of the national team, will make an appearance. As a victory is essential, there are suggestions that the energy of a Bundesliga starter is needed, drawing keen attention to head coach Hong Myung-bo's decision.

Reporter Hong Seok-jun has the story.

[Reporter]

Castrop, a key member of Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German Bundesliga and a dual citizen of South Korea and Germany, chose his "mother's country," South Korea, and first wore the Taegeuk mark last September. He was also a surprise inclusion in the final World Cup roster.

[Jens Castrop/National Football Team Defender (Last Month): It is a great honor to play in my first World Cup with South Korea.]

Castrop, who can play in the midfield as well as on the left flank, performed well as a left wing-back in the final two evaluation matches, but he has been absent since the tournament began.

After missing the match against the Czech Republic, he was left out of the starting lineup against Mexico as well, with Seol Young-woo, whose primary position is right wing-back, being deployed on the left.

Even in the second half, when a goal was desperately needed, head coach Hong Myung-bo chose Eom Ji-sung instead of Castrop as a substitute for Seol Young-woo. Eom sparked competition by delivering a sharp cross that led to a decisive header by Cho Gue-sung.

The situation of our national team and South Africa's weaknesses are also important variables in head coach Hong Myung-bo's "left wing-back strategy."

Against South Africa, which has shown vulnerabilities in flank and back-line defense, a much more aggressive approach is needed compared to the first two matches. There are predictions that Castrop, who possesses the best attacking ability among the team's wing-back options, could play the role of a "game changer."

With his mother cheering for her son in person in Mexico,

[Ahn Soo-yeon/Castrop's Mother (Last October): I hope Jens (Castrop) shows a good performance and plays a great game.]

Castrop is preparing for the moment he will debut on the "stage of his dreams."

Reported by Hwang In-seok | Video by Lee Jae-sung | Graphics by Seo Seung-hyun
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.