Eloy Room's 15 saves earn Curaçao historic first World Cup point in 0-0 draw vs Ecuador
Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room registered a record 15 saves to keep a clean sheet against Ecuador, securing the Caribbean island's first-ever World Cup point in a goalless draw in Kansas City.
A historic night for Curaçao
Curaçao, the smallest nation ever to play in a World Cup, celebrated its first point at the tournament on Saturday night. The Caribbean island of just 160,000 inhabitants held Ecuador to a 0-0 draw in Kansas City, defying the odds after a 7-1 drubbing by Germany in their opening match. The result leaves Curaçao with a theoretical chance of reaching the knockout rounds.
Eloy Room's record-breaking performance
Veteran goalkeeper Eloy Room was the undisputed hero, making 15 saves in the match, a record for a World Cup game without extra time since Opta began tracking the statistic in 1966. Room, who plays for Miami FC in the USL Championship, thwarted Ecuadorian attempts throughout the 90 minutes, from a third-minute stop on Enner Valencia to a string of reflex saves in the second half. The only goalkeeper with more saves in a World Cup match was Tim Howard, who needed 120 minutes for his 16 saves for the USA against Belgium in 2014.
I deserve a statue.
Ecuador's finishing woes
Ecuador dominated the match with 27 shots, 15 of them on target, but could not find the net. Captain Enner Valencia was guilty of multiple squandered chances, including a close-range miss after just two minutes, a header off target, and a poor finish from a promising position late in the game. A looping shot from Angelo Preciado hit the crossbar in the 90th minute, compounding Ecuador's frustration. The team had already lost 1-0 to Ivory Coast in their opener, striking the woodwork three times.
- Shots attempted
- 27 count
- Shots on target
- 15 count
- Eloy Room saves
- 15 count
Group E picture
Earlier on Saturday, Germany defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 in Toronto to secure top spot in Group E with six points and a place in the round of 16. Ivory Coast sits on three points, while Ecuador and Curaçao each have one point. On Thursday 25 June, Ecuador must beat Germany while hoping Curaçao does not defeat Ivory Coast to have any chance of advancing. Curaçao, meanwhile, needs a victory over Ivory Coast to pull off an even greater shock.
