Goalkeeper Eloy Room helped Curacao celebrate a landmark day as they earned their first World Cup point after playing out a goalless draw against Ecuador in World Cup Group E match on Saturday.
Six days after suffering a heavy 7-1 defeat to Germany in their first-ever World Cup match, Curacao bounced back with a determined performance to hold Ecuador to 0-0 draw and keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.
Curacao, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup with a population of around 156,000, showed tremendous resilience against a much more experienced Ecuador side.
The star of the night was veteran goalkeeper Room. The 37-year-old, whose clean sheet against Jamaica helped Curacao qualify for the tournament, produced a remarkable display with 15 saves — the most ever made by a goalkeeper in a 90-minute World Cup match.
The overall World Cup record is held by former United States goalkeeper Tim Howard, who made 16 saves against Belgium in the 2014 Round of 16, although that match went into extra time.
The draw, which also confirmed Germany as winners of Group E, came as a major disappointment for Ecuador. The South Americans arrived at the tournament on a 19-match unbeaten run but were left with just one point from two games after failing to break down Curacao’s defence.
Ecuador nearly made the perfect start when captain Enner Valencia found himself one-on-one with Room in the third minute. But the Curacao goalkeeper reacted brilliantly, diving to push the shot wide with one hand.
That save set the tone for the rest of the match. Time and again, Room denied Ecuador’s attackers, frustrating both the players and the thousands of Ecuador fans in the stadium.
“I’m still trying to take it all in,” Room said after the match. “There were so many emotions. I knew it would be a difficult game. That first save gave me confidence, and I think it lifted the whole team.
“We kept fighting until the final whistle. To earn a point for Curacao in this way is something really special.”
Ecuador’s supporters, who heavily outnumbered the Curacao fans, tried to inspire their team throughout the match with chants of “Si se puede” (“Yes we can”).
But when the final whistle blew, it was Curacao’s players who celebrated wildly. They rushed to embrace Room, while Ecuador’s fans stood stunned, knowing their team had let a golden opportunity slip away.
Both teams came into the game searching for their first points of the tournament. Ecuador had lost 1-0 to Ivory Coast in their opening match after conceding a late goal.
When FIFA expanded the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, many critics feared the tournament would feature too many one-sided matches.
Curacao’s heavy defeat to Germany seemed to support that view, but their performance against Ecuador showed that the gap between football’s traditional powers and emerging nations may not be as large as many expected.
