Ecuador 0-0 Curaçao
They suffered a humiliating 7-1 defeat at the hands of Germany but here at Kansas City against Ecuador, Curaçao were determined not to let in anymore.
Dick Advocaat’s side stood backs against the wall and defied their southern opponents, led by their 37-year-old goalkeeper Eloy Room, who took a page off the books of Cape Verde’s Vozinha and delivered one of the great goalkeeping performances of the game.
Room finished with 15 saves as Curaçao frustrated Ecuador in a goalless draw that earned the Caribbean nation the first point of their World Cup debut campaign and kept alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages. The South Americans dominated possession, territory and chances but repeatedly ran into a granite wall.
For Ecuador, they now have just one point after two games at a tournament they entered with much hope, having impressed in the qualifying matches. They lost at the death against Ivory Coast, and after this draw against Curaçao they must now regroup quickly before a decisive meeting with Germany, who are six points to the good having beaten both Ivory Coast and Curaçao.
Almost immediately after kickoff, Room gave an indication of what the game would be like. Enner Valencia broke through inside the opening minutes, only for the goalkeeper to spread himself and divert the shot behind.
There would be more interventions to come. Ecuador controlled proceedings, with Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo dictating play in midfield and Gonzalo Plata providing a constant threat. But every promising attack ended in the same way. Room saved from Valencia again, turned away a Plata effort and remained alert whenever Ecuador found space around the penalty area.
As they showed against Germany, Curaçao were not entirely confined to defence. Tahith Chong was an outlet on the counterattack and Juninho Bacuna threatened here and there. The underdogs almost stunned Ecuador midway through the second half when Hernan Galindez was forced into a succession of saves after Leandro Bacuna and Livano Comenencia tested him, before Jurgen Locadia’s follow-up effort was blocked.
But Ecuador took the hint and increased their urgency. Kevin Rodriguez injected energy from the bench and immediately drew another stop from Room, who also denied Valencia and Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie as pressure mounted.
The opportunities continued to arrive. Hincapie headed over from a promising position and Plata failed to capitalise after breaking into the area, before Rodriguez smacked the crossbar with a dangerous delivery that almost caught everyone out.
Ecuador knew dropping points in this game would leave them on the brink of an exit. They threw numbers forward in search of a winner as the clocked ticked down, but Room was resolute, gathering crosses while his defenders threw themselves into blocks and clearances.
When the final whistle sounded, Curaçao’s players celebrated as though they had won the match. Given the scale of the achievement, it was difficult to argue otherwise.
