Curacao keeper Room jokes he deserves statue after World Cup heroics
Yahoo Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room made a record 15 saves in their 0-0 World Cup draw against Ecuador, securing the team's first-ever World Cup point and keeping their knockout stage hopes alive.
- Room's 15 saves are the highest on record since 1966 in a World Cup match without extra-time, narrowly missing Tim Howard's 16-save record set in 2014.
- Curacao, the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup with a population of about 160,000, celebrated wildly after the match, with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima joining the team in the dressing room.
- The team, mostly composed of players born in the Netherlands and coached by Dutch veteran Dick Advocaat, showed resilience after a heavy 7-1 defeat to Germany earlier in the tournament.
- With Germany topping Group E, Ivory Coast, Curacao, and Ecuador remain in contention for the second knockout spot, and Room expressed pride and optimism about Curacao's World Cup journey.
