\u201cIt\u2019s going to be an insane memory,\u201d said Room, who plays for USL Championship club Miami FC. \u201cYou don\u2019t think about it when you do it but of course it\u2019s going to be something you look back to. For me as a goalkeeper, this is almost a perfect game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 37-year-old Room, whose shutout of Jamaica last November sent Curacao to its first World Cup, bounced back in historic fashion from a 7-1 loss to Germany<\/a>. His save total was one shy of the record \u2014 since saves became an official stat in 1966 \u2014 of 16 set by Tim Howard of the U.S. against Belgium on July 1, 2014, in a game that Room remembers watching.<\/p>\n Howard needed 120 minutes for his total, though. Nobody has made more saves than Room without extra time.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I need a statue in Curacao now,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n The draw doesn\u2019t eliminate either team from knockout play, but it put Ecuador in dire shape going into its group finale. Those matches take place Thursday with Curacao facing Ivory Coast in Philadelphia and Ecuador playing Germany in New York.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, there are things you cannot explain in football,\u201d Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece said. \u201cWe wanted to win. We didn\u2019t do it. I am the one who bears responsibility, and I told my team, \u2018If you\u2019re giving it all, competing, I have no complaints.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as we are alive, we will continue to give it our all. We are very united. We are like a family. No one said it would be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n Ecuador certainly had a home-field advantage Saturday night at the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Its fanbase, dressed like its players in bright yellow shirts, filled the stadium to the brim, making it look like a convention of Minions. There was only a couple of small pockets of blue-clad Curacao fans in a stadium whose capacity could house half of its island citizenry.<\/p>\n Among those in the crowd were Kansas City Royals players Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Starling Marte.<\/p>\n And King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who began a memorable day in Houston cheering the Dutch past Sweden<\/a>, then flew to Kansas City to watch a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands make history.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were even dancing in the locker room to our music,\u201d Room said. \u201cThat\u2019s unreal that they witnessed this game.\u201d<\/p>\n The pressure mounted on Ecuador earlier Saturday, when Deniz Undav\u2019s goal in stoppage time lifted Germany to a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. The outcome of that match in Toronto meant that La Tri faced World Cup elimination with a loss to The Blue Wave.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ecuador\u2019s Gonzalo Plata, bottom, falls after being fouled by Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s Gervane Kastaneer during the World Cup Group E soccer match in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel)<\/p>\n Ecuador\u2019s Gonzalo Plata, bottom, falls after being fouled by Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s Gervane Kastaneer during the World Cup Group E soccer match in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel)<\/p>\n Add AP News on Google <\/p>\n Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Curacao made sure the pressure continued once play began.<\/p>\n Throughout the first half, 78-year-old coach Dick Advocaat\u2019s team kept finding seams through the middle of Ecuador\u2019s defense, and that created open looks at the goal. But each time, Curacao would end the runs with a sloppy pass or a shot wide of net.<\/p>\n Ecuador wasted its best scoring chance in the opening minutes, when World Cup veteran Enner Valencia found nothing between him and the goalkeeper. But Room guessed right, dived to his left and deflected the shot to keep the game scoreless.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us it\u2019s no shock,\u201d Curacao midfielder Tahith Chong said. \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten used to Eloy doing these unbelievable saves.\u201d<\/p>\n The pressure of La Tri picked up in the second half \u2014 and each time, Room was standing in the way.<\/p>\n![\"Ecuador's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782043033_155_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"Cura\u00e7ao's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782043033_617_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Cura\u00e7ao's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782043034_736_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Cura\u00e7ao's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782043034_308_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n