Curaçao goalie Eloy Room makes history with 15 saves in goalless Ecuador draw
37-year-old Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room made history for his tiny island nation after making 15 incredible saves in a Group E encounter against Ecuador which ended in a 0-0 score, thus earning his country’s first ever World Cup point.
The game which was played at the magnificent Kansas City Stadium saw Ecuador completely dominate play with standard offensive metrics, but they were unable to break through the resolute Curacao defence line.
Ecuador winger Enner Valencia missed multiple high-quality opportunities to give his team the lead in the game after finding his way through Curaçao’s stubborn 5-4-1 formation.
Room who later emerged as Man of the Match turned out to be the undisputed hero of the game making a record-breaking 15 saves to deny a relentless Ecuadorian attack.
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According available stats provided by Opta, no goalkeeper has made more stops in 90 minutes of World Cup action since the records began in 1966.
The records reveal that only Tim Howard made as many in a single game but, unlike Room, he failed to keep a clean sheet after conceding twice in extra-time for the USA against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Both teams will play their next 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage matches on Thursday, June 25, 2026, with Curacao facing Ivory Coast while Ecuador will tackle Germany.
