Curacao goalie makes 15 saves as squad picks up first World Cup point

Curacao needed an historical effort from its goalkeeper to prime up the archetypal World Cup constituent successful the country’s past connected Saturday.

Curacao’s Eloy Room made 15 saves against Ecuador and earned a 0-0 gully successful the match. Room’s saves full was 1 shy of the grounds of 16 acceptable by U.S. shot fable Tim Howard against Belgium connected July 1, 2014.

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Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room waves to fans aft the World Cup Group E lucifer betwixt Ecuador and Curacao successful Kansas City, Mo., connected June 20, 2026. (Reed Hoffmann/Ap)

"It’s going to beryllium an insane memory," Room said aft the match. "You don’t deliberation astir it erstwhile you bash it but of people it’s going to beryllium thing you look backmost to. For maine arsenic a goalkeeper, this is astir a cleanable game."

Room deed the people successful regularisation portion Howard needed 120 minutes for his mark. No goalkeeper has made much saves than Room without other time.

"I deliberation I request a statue successful Curacao now," helium added.

Ecuador took 27 shots vs. 10 for Curacao. Ten of Room’s 15 saves were made wrong the box.

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Ecuador's Jordy Caicedo and Curaçao's Jurien Gaari vie for a header during a World Cup Group E lucifer successful Kansas City, Mo., connected June 20, 2026. (Ed Zurga/AP Photo)

Curacao earned the constituent arsenic Germany defeated Ivory Coast earlier successful the time to clinch Group E. The gully kept some Curacao and Ecuador successful contention for the knockout stage. However, Ecuador is successful pugnacious signifier with lone constituent successful its archetypal 2 matches.

"Well, determination are things you cannot explicate successful football," Ecuador manager Sebastian Beccacece said. "We wanted to win. We didn't bash it. I americium the 1 who bears responsibility, and I told my team, ‘If you’re giving it all, competing, I person nary complaints.'

"As agelong arsenic we are alive, we volition proceed to springiness it our all. We are precise united. We are similar a family. No 1 said it would beryllium easy."

Curaçao's Leandro Bacuna and teammates observe aft a gully against Ecuador during a World Cup Group E shot lucifer successful Kansas City, Mo., connected June 20, 2026. (Ed Zurga/AP Photo)

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Ecuador volition play Germany and Curacao volition vie against Ivory Coast successful the last Group E matches of the tournament.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.