Curaçao stand firm and claim historic first World Cup point against Ecuador

It’s doubtful whether many Ecuador supporters – or many others for that matter – had ever heard the name Eloy Room before this match. They will never forget it now. Watched by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands in the stands, the Curaçao goalkeeper etched his name into the pantheon of World Cup legends with what must rank as one of the most heroic performances in the long history of the competition. Room – a 37-year-old who has spent most of his career sitting on the bench for clubs in the Eredivisie – came within one save of breaking Tim Howard’s all-time record of 16 in a single men’s World Cup game from 2014, although that included a period of extra time. It earned the nation with the smallest population ever to make it to a finals a first ever point on their World Cup debut against highly rated opponents, as Dick Advocaat’s side recovered from their 7-1 thrashing against Germany a few days ago in some style. Eloy Room For Ecuador, who left the field to jeers from their fans as Curaçao’s players embraced theirs, it was another performance to forget and they know they must beat Germany in their final match to stand any chance of progressing. The thumping against Julian Nagelsmann’s side had not dampened the spirit of the partying Curaçao supporters, with as many as 5% of the country’s 160,000 population estimated to have travelled to the United States. …