Yens competing for the aerial ball
On June 24 (local time), in the third match of Group A of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup held at Monterey Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, between Korea and South Africa. Korea's Yens Kastrof is engaged in physical battle to secure the aerial ball. 2026.6.25 hama@yna.co.kr
(Guadalupe [Nuevo Leon State, Mexico]·Seoul=Yonhapnews) Reporters O Myung-eon and Lee Young-ho = "It was my mistake."
Yens Kastrof (Monchengladbach), a 'wingback' for the Korean national soccer team who made his first World Cup appearance as a second-half substitute in the final match of the group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, expressed regret saying he conceded a goal due to his own mistake.
The Korean national team led by coach Hong Myung-bo lost 0-1 to South Africa in the final third match of Group A of the tournament's group stage held at Monterey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico on the 25th (Korean time).
The national team, which could have confirmed second place in the group and secured a ticket to the Round of 32 with just a draw, collapsed on its own, wasting its chance for direct advancement, and now must watch the results of the third-place teams in each group.
Kastrof, who waited on the bench in the first half, was substituted with Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna) at the start of the second half and took charge of the left wingback position, actively participating in the attack but failing to create attacking opportunities.
Korea conceding
On June 24 (local time), in the third match of Group A of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup held at Monterey Stadium in Monterrey, Mexico, between Korea and South Africa. Korea concedes the opening goal to South Africa's Tapelo Maseko. 2026.6.25 hama@yna.co.kr
After the match, Kastrof met with reporters in the mixed zone and lowered his head saying, "It's great to have played my World Cup debut, but unfortunately the team lost 0-1. It's really regrettable."
He said, "It's an unfortunate result, but now we have to watch what happens in other groups. If we manage to advance to the Round of 32, I will focus 100% on the next match."
When asked what instructions he received from Manager Hong, he said, "Since South Africa plays a back-four defense, he told me to definitely come forward aggressively from the opponent's last defensive line," and explained, "I tried to move actively through crosses and penetrating into the space behind the defense. We did well in that regard, but unfortunately we failed to score, and instead conceded in a counterattack situation."
Kastrof particularly said, "Running on the pitch and watching from outside are very different," and said, "When watching from outside, everything looks easy, but on the pitch itself, it's very difficult to sprint or move actively and aggressively because of the high humidity and weather conditions."
He continued, "In the situation where we conceded, I couldn't close my legs in time when the opponent shot, and ultimately allowed the goal," and added, "That was my mistake. But on the pitch, every moment is truly a little bit more difficult."
horn90@yna.co.kr, coup@yna.co.kr
