Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room made a staggering 15 saves to help his nation pick up a sensational point against Ecuador. Just days after losing 7-1 to Germany, the small Caribbean Island, with a population of just over 158,000, fought defiantly to secure a goalless draw against Ecuador.
Enner Valencia had five shots on target for the South American nation but was denied by Room on every occasion while Moises Caicedo and John Yeboah also saw their effort saved excellently by the 37-year-old Miami FC shot-stopper.
Former Manchester United star Tahith Chong was Curacao‘s bright spark, with his relentless running and footwork helping them get up the pitch, but following his withdrawal after 76 minutes, it was backs to the wall for Curacao.
Led by ex-Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat, they held firm for the remaining 20 minutes and have handed themselves a shot at qualifying for the knockout stages.
At the full-time whistle, there were huge cheers from the Blue Wave while Room dropped to his knees and was surrounded by his teammates having made the second most amount of saves in a single World Cup game ever.
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Advocaat was also spotted in tears on the sidelines before hugging his coaching staff.
They will face Ivory Coast later this month while Ecuador need to beat Germany, who have already been confirmed as group-winners, to have any chance of advancing.
Ecuador’s Gonzalo Plata was struggling to hold back tears while Arsenal star Piero Hincapie appeared purely stunned by the result.
View 2 ImagesPiero Hincapie was one of several Ecuador players that missed a chance against Curacao
Curacao’s Room has subsequently joined Cape Verde’s Vozinha in making a name for himself at the World Cup with the latter keeping a clean sheet against Spain.
They are set to face Uruguay on Sunday with the 40-year-old’s Mum expected to be in attendance after visa issues stopped her from seeing him in action against the European champions.
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