How record-setting Eloy Room helped Curacao earn historic first World Cup point v Ecuador: 'I need a statue'
Updated 21/06/2026 at 19:27 GMT+1
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Veteran goalkeeper Eloy Room produced a masterclass against Ecuador to break a long-standing tournament record and earn Dick Advocaat's Curacao their first-ever FIFA World Cup point at their maiden tournament.
'I need a statue' - Room admits he had a perfect game after inspiring Curacao to draw with Ecuador
Video credit: SNTV
The 37-year-old made 15 saves to keep a remarkable clean sheet and secure the Caribbean island's most unlikely result, just days after they conceded seven goals in their tournament opener against Germany.
Room's save tally is not only the most by any goalkeeper at this World Cup, but the most in any 90-minute World Cup match since records began in 1966, according to Opta.
That's despite Ecuador racking up a 2.27 XG (expected goals) tally.
The shot-stopper was in inspired form from the outset, producing a superb low save to tip Enner Valencia's header around the post inside three minutes.
It set the tone, with the Miami FC 'keeper continuing to frustrate Ecuador for the remainder of the contest.
”Of course, as a goalkeeper, you grow in the game with the saves,” Room said. ”But I think the first one was the most important save. And after that, I knew no ball was going to go in today.
”For us it feels like a win. We have a point in the World Cup. It's really unbelievable. And we fought with the whole team, it's unbelievable.
”Yeah, everything is open now, so we have to recover from this and also enjoy this moment and then we go to the next.”
He added: "But yeah, I think I need a statue in Curacao now."
| World Cup | Player | Match | Saves | Mins played | Save percentage |
| 2026 | Eloy Room | Curaçao v Ecuador | 15 | 90 | 100.0 |
| 2014 | Tim Howard | USA v Belgium | 15 | 120 | 88.2 |
| 1978 | Ramón Quiroga | Peru v Netherlands | 14 | 90 | 100.0 |
| 1974 | Dimbi Tubilandu | Congo DR (as Zaire) v Yugoslavia | 11 | 69 | 64.7 |
| 1970 | Raul Magana | El Salvador v Belgium | 11 | 90 | 78.6 |
| 1998 | Faryd Mondragón | Colombia v England | 11 | 90 | 84.6 |
| 1982 | Friedrich Koncilia | Austria v France | 11 | 90 | 91.7 |
| 1978 | Ramón Quiroga | Peru v Scotland | 11 | 90 | 91.7 |
| 2006 | Mabrouk Zayed | Saudi Arabia v Spain | 11 | 90 | 91.7 |
| 2022 | Dominik Livakovic | Croatia v Brazil | 11 | 120 | 90.9 |
Room not only set a personal World Cup record, but also helped Curacao, a nation of just 156,000 people, earn a point against opponents ranked more than 50 places above them in the FIFA standings.
There was delirium back home when Curacao took an unlikely lead against Germany. But it was somewhat tempered as Germany came back to thump the debutants 7-1. A point is a result for the ages.
”It wasn't difficult,” Leandro Bacuna remarked, when asked how Curacao recovered from their Germany defeat.
”Our fans back home applauded us, they said we are still proud of you guys, and it gave us an extra boost.
”Even though we lost 7-1, we knew that we'd done something great for the island, and we knew that if we can do something today, maybe get a draw or get a win we still have a chance.”
On Room, Bacuna added: ”It was incredible. I think the four games we played were a bit tough.
”We conceded quite a lot of goals, so he deserves it. He's a great keeper, he's been doing very good for us, for our nation, so he really deserved it today.”
Advocaat: ‘They fought like lions’
Curacao boss Dick Advocaat hailed his side after the Ecuador draw, adding that the performance showed the true level of his players.
"Maybe Germany came too early," he said via Reuters. "That day they were simply out of our league, but today the team was standing as it should have been standing.
"They were fighting like lions, and then you see what you can achieve against a team that's playing on a very high level with very high individual levels of the players."
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He added: "The people of Curacao have given us their support from the outset. Particularly last week, after the 7-1, people were still celebrating on the island and people were full of joy.
"It was a mad house tonight. So I think that for people whose life is not always that easy, I really wish them to celebrate this success."
Curacao face Cote d'Ivoire in their final Group E game, knowing a shock victory would see them heading into the last 32.
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Ecuador
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Curaçao
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