Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room made history with an incredible 15 saves to earn his country their first ever World Cup point by holding Ecuador to a 0-0 draw in Group E.
Room, 37, set a new record for the most saves in 90 minutes of a World Cup match since records began in 1966, with an outstanding display, improbably keeping alive the qualification hopes of the team ranked 81st in the world and a population of just 158,000 people despite their 7-1 opening-game defeat to Germany.
Ecuador, fancied by many to go deep into the tournament after a promising qualifying campaign, had 27 shots, producing an xG of 3.05, yet drew another blank after losing 1-0 to the Ivory Coast and must now beat table-toppers Germany to go through.
Enner Valencia was the most wasteful of Ecuador’s forwards with seven shots, denied by Room’s best save in only the third minute when clean through on goal before Gonzalo Plata had his close-range header parried by the unbeatable goalkeeper on a remarkable night in Kansas.
Ecuador’s Enner Valencia is denied by Eloy Room in the third minute
The key moments from Kansas…
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3: HUGE SAVE! Curacao goalkeeper Room denies Valencia with a brilliant stop.
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69: ROOM AGAIN! Plata’s close-range header at a corner is superbly parried by the goalkeeper.
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60: DOULE SAVE! But NOT from Room as Curacao are denied a shock lead.
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79: ROOM MAKES HISTORY! Angulo’s pildriver from outside the box is parried by Room to bring up his fifteenth save.
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90: OFF THE WOODWORK! Ecuador substitute Preciado sees his cross hit the crossbar.
