Curaçao's Eloy Room stops 15 shots to set World Cup record in scoreless draw with Ecuador
The 37-year-old goalkeeper made history as the Caribbean debutants earned their first ever World Cup point, then celebrated with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in the locker room.
A night of defiance
Curaçao, a Caribbean nation of around 150,000 people, held Ecuador to a 0-0 draw in Kansas City to earn its first ever point at a men's World Cup. The result echoed Cape Verde's earlier surprise draw with Spain, another game in which an underdog goalkeeper defied the odds.
It means everything to us. For us it feels like a victory. It's an incredible feeling.
Eloy Room's 15 saves surpassed any goalkeeper's tally in a regular-time World Cup match since detailed records began in 1966. The overall record of 16 saves belongs to Tim Howard of the United States, who needed 120 minutes to reach that mark in a 2014 round-of-16 tie against Belgium. Room's performance leaves him one short of that all-time mark.
I think Tim Howard was sweating at home on the couch when he saw my saves.
Royal reward and dancing in the locker room
The night took an even more surreal turn after the final whistle. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who is also head of state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (of which Curaçao is a constituent country), and Queen Máxima had earlier watched the Dutch team beat Sweden 5-1 in Houston, then flew to Kansas City to attend the Curaçao match. They joined the team's celebration in the dressing room.
To see how they fitted into our dressing room, that was incredible. They smiled and danced. Nothing was too much for them. It was simply wonderful to see.
Room and the queen exchanged a kiss, though the exact sequence was disputed. "Máxima kissed me," Room insisted. Advocaat corrected him: "No, you kissed her." Room replied with a grin, "I hope my wife isn't here."
A personal journey from uncertainty to the record books
Room, 37, was born in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and represents Curaçao internationally. A year before this match, he was without a club after his contract with Belgian side Cercle Brugge expired. He then signed with Miami FC in the second tier of US soccer in January 2026. The journey from unemployment to World Cup record-holder added to the emotional weight.
I think this was the best match of my career. I think I deserve a statue in Curaçao now.
His partner, Serbian influencer Zorana Jovanovic, posted a photo of the couple with Room's player-of-the-match award, writing "You showed everyone who you are."
Ecuador's frustration and group implications
Ecuador had entered the match expecting a comfortable win after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast in their opener. An early save from Enner Valencia's shot set the tone, and despite mounting 15 shots on target, they could not beat Room. Ecuador now sit bottom of their group and must face a Germany side likely rotating players, with elimination looming.
