Eloy Room made 15 saves to keep Ecuador off the scoreboard as Curacao held the heavily favored side to a 0-0 draw, earning the tiny island nation its first-ever World Cup point and leaving Ecuador in a tight spot heading into Thursday’s group finale.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The night was supposed to belong to Ecuador. The stadium, filled with bright yellow shirts, looked like a celebration of their talent and their momentum.
Instead, Curacao’s goalkeeper Eloy Room turned into the difference—again and again—making 15 saves against a relentless attack and sending the Blue Wave and La Tri to a 0-0 draw on Saturday night. For Curacao, it was its first-ever World Cup point.
Room, 37, backstopped the result with a performance that sits among the finest by a goalkeeper in World Cup history. His 15 saves came one shy of the record 16, a mark set by Tim Howard of the U.S. against Belgium on July 1, 2014, when saves had become an official statistic in 1966.
The draw did not eliminate either team from knockout play, but it tightened the pressure on Ecuador as the group moved toward its finale. Those matches take place Thursday with Curacao facing Ivory Coast in Philadelphia, and Ecuador playing Germany in New York.
Germany’s earlier result also shaped the stakes: Germany beat Ivory Coast earlier in the day, and that outcome allowed Germany to clinch Group E.
In Kansas City, Ecuador had home-field advantage in all but geography. The fanbase dressed like its players, filling the stadium to the brim at the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. The scene made it look like a convention of Minions. while there were only a couple of small pockets of blue-clad Curacao fans—tiny in a venue that could house half of its island citizenry.
Even so, the crowd’s volume couldn’t force a breakthrough. The closest Ecuador came early was a moment that felt tailor-made for a goal: World Cup veteran Enner Valencia had nothing between him and the goalkeeper in the opening minutes. Room guessed right, diving to his left and deflecting Valencia’s shot to keep the game scoreless.
Curacao, coached by 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, had its own stretches of pressure. Throughout the first half, the team repeatedly found seams through the middle of Ecuador’s defense and generated open looks at the goal. But each time, Curacao ended runs with a sloppy pass or a shot wide of the net.
The drama only intensified after halftime. Ecuador’s relentless push carried into the second half, and each time, Room was there—standing in the way.
Moises Caicedo forced a spectacular save early on. Then Valencia followed suit, this time with a well-placed header that Room knocked wide. On the ensuing corner kick, Room made two more sensational saves before Curacao finally got the ball cleared.
It was that kind of night for Room. And it was that kind of night for Ecuador—one where momentum kept building, but the finishing never arrived.
The broader group picture had already turned tense earlier Saturday. Deniz Undav’s goal in stoppage time gave Germany a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. That outcome meant La Tri faced World Cup elimination with a loss to The Blue Wave.
As the match played out, the pressure remained—and it showed. Among those watching in the crowd were Kansas City Royals players Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Starling Marte.
By the time the final whistle came, Ecuador had the possession and the noise, but Curacao had the keeper and the nerve. Room’s 15 saves did not just deny goals. They handed a tiny island nation a first-ever point—and left Ecuador facing a difficult task going into Thursday’s finale.
Curacao Eloy Room Ecuador World Cup Group E Kansas City Germany Ivory Coast