KANSAS CITY, Missouri — It took just two minutes for Eloy Room to signal that something special was about to unfold. The Curacao goalkeeper stopped Ecuador forward Enner Valencia at close range early in Saturday’s match, and that was only the beginning of a history-making afternoon.
Room went on to record 15 saves in a 0-0 draw with Ecuador in Group E — the most ever recorded in a 90-minute World Cup match. The performance helped Curacao, the smallest nation ever to appear at a World Cup with a population of roughly 156,000, earn their very first point in the tournament.
Curacao joined fellow first-time World Cup participant Cape Verde in finding an unexpected hero between the goalposts. Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha had similarly helped hold powerhouse Spain to a 0-0 tie in Group H’s opening round.
Room, 37 years old and the eldest player on Curacao’s roster, absorbed wave after wave of Ecuadorean pressure. Among his standout stops was an 18-metre strike from John Yeboah in the 41st minute and a second-half header from Valencia.
Only former United States goalkeeper Tim Howard has made more saves in a single World Cup match — stopping 16 shots in an extra-time loss to Belgium in the round of 16 at the 2014 tournament.
When asked about the record, Room told reporters he wasn’t thinking about statistics during the game, though he jokingly admitted some frustration at falling one stop short of Howard’s mark. He credited the result to the entire team.
Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez offered high praise, saying Room had played the game of his life against the South American side.
For Room, making history is nothing new. Back in 2019, he made more than a dozen saves as Curacao claimed their first-ever Gold Cup victory against Honduras. But performing on the World Cup stage brought an entirely new level of significance — both for the nation and for Room personally.
The Netherlands-born goalkeeper told FIFA earlier this year that his dream since childhood was to reach the World Cup representing Curacao. He became eligible to play for the country through his father and recalled visiting the island during summer vacations as a young boy. He was recruited to join the national team in 2015 by Patrick Kluivert, the former Netherlands international who was managing the side at the time.
The reaction on social media was overwhelming. Room’s Instagram following exploded from fewer than 100,000 to around 700,000 after the match — a surge comparable to what Cape Verde’s Vozinha experienced following his own standout performance.
Standing six feet three inches tall and born near the German border, Room currently plays for Miami FC in the USL Championship. He spent much of his career at Dutch club Vitesse and has also suited up for Columbus Crew in MLS and PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie.
Curacao is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Saturday’s match drew royal spectators. Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were both in attendance. Room said the royals joined the team’s celebration afterward, dancing with the players — and that the queen even gave him a kiss.
The emotion of the moment was on full display when a journalist from Curacao leapt to his feet in the Kansas City press box at the final whistle, shouting, “Curacao! We got a point! This is history!”
Head coach Dick Advocaat joked with reporters that his team might have needed Ecuador down four players to actually win the match. In the end, it was one man — Room — who was more than enough to deliver a landmark result for the Caribbean nation.
