Updated 06.01 | Published 03.55
Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room, 37, scored the match of his life and set a new World Cup record.
The smallest nation in World Cup history roared.
It was goalless between Curaçao and Ecuador. A country with barely 200,000 inhabitants thus took its first WC point.
Ecuador tried to score in every possible way – but Eloy Room was unstoppable.
The Curaçao goalkeeper made 15 saves and with this he was just one save away from equaling American Tim Howard’s record.
Howard made 16 saves when the U.S. faced Belgium in the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup. But that game went to extra time, so Room set a new World Cup save record for non-overtime games.
After the match, it was no surprise that Room received the player of the match award.
On a day-to-day basis, Room plays for Miami FC in the league USL Championship, which is the level below MLS.
The royal family celebrated
Curaçao is a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The royal family was therefore proud in the stands of Kansas City Stadium.
– That such a small country can assert itself so strongly on the international stage and score a point was fantastic to experience, says King Willem-Alexander to Alles over voetbal.
The royal family joined in celebrating the historic score with song and dance in the dressing room.
– It was so beautiful, they really fought. I am so proud of Curaçao, says Queen Máxima.
With Curaçao’s historic score, the hope of advancing to the round of 16 is very much alive. But both Curaçao (who face Ivory Coast) and Ecuador (who face Germany) need to win their final group stage match to have a realistic chance of progressing.
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