A South Korean footballer of German heritage, Jens Castrop, scored two goals for his club team before the March A-match selection, hinting at a strong showing in the upcoming CONCACAF World Cup. For the national team coached by Hong Myung-bo, which has faced challenges in the fullback and wingback positions, this is a significant boost.
Jens, who is part of the Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach, began as a left-back in a 3-4-2-1 setup during the 27th round Bundesliga game at Cologne on the 21st, and had an outstanding performance, netting two goals by himself.
Jens netted the first goal only 28 seconds into the game. In a moment when the ball was moving along the right side, Jens moved towards the opponent’s left, received a long pass from the right, beat a defender, and confidently scored in a one-on-one encounter with the goalkeeper.
Later, in the 19th minute of the first half, with the team behind 1-2, Jens played a key role in scoring the equalizer. Getting a long pass from the left side outside the opponent’s penalty area, Jens made a courageous run past defenders and sent a cross into the goal zone. Jander, who received the cross, took a shot, and after the ball bounced off a defender, Jens scored by putting it into the net, making the score 2-2.
The standout moment was Jens’ second goal in the second half. Following a hit to his left foot in the 12th minute of the second half, three minutes later, in the 15th minute, Jens received a pass near the central-left area just outside the opponent’s penalty box. He guided the ball toward the center and took a mid-range shot, which connected perfectly with his foot, sending it soaring with impressive power and trajectory into the top-right corner of the net. It was an amazing goal that left the opposing goalkeeper unable to react.
Nevertheless, the game concluded in a tie. Mönchengladbach allowed a goal in the 39th minute of the second half due to a corner kick. However, none of the three goals that Gladbach conceded on that day were directly linked to Jens.
This game was uplifting not only for Jens but also for the South Korean national squad. Initially playing as a central midfielder, Jens recently transitioned to wingback following his exclusion from Gladbach’s central midfield battle. He has seamlessly adjusted to this role, consistently enhancing his play, and in this match, he contributed to all three of the team’s goals, delivering an outstanding performance. The football statistics site Fotmob gave Jens a score of 8.8 points, the top rating among all players.
Additionally, this game was known as the “Rhine Derby” against local rivals Cologne, a highly stressful match, and it’s positive that Jens did well under the significant pressure.
With the national team currently facing challenges in securing fullback and wingback players, Jens’ impressive performance is like having an army of ten thousand. Particularly during this March A-match period, starting wingback Lee Myung-jae (Daejeon) is sidelined due to an injury, and Jens demonstrating the ability to claim the starting left fullback and wingback positions is a positive development. Earlier, head coach Hong Myung-bo indicated his plan to use Jens as both a wingback and fullback in the upcoming national team selection.
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