Curaçao, the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup, rebounded from a 7-1 opening thrashing by Germany to capture its first-ever World Cup point. The headline story of the match was the legendary performance of 37-year-old Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room. Room made 15 saves—tying the record for the most saves in a single World Cup fixture, previously set by USA's Tim Howard in 2014 (which notably went to extra time).

Ecuador nearly opened the scoring immediately when Moisés Caicedo sent Enner Valencia through. Valencia fired from close range, but Room executed a flying reflex save, keeping it wide in the 3rd minute. John Yeboah, 42nd minute, unleashed a low drive after a messy run, forcing another massive horizontal dive from Room. Curaçao had a rare but dangerous triple-chance counterattack. Ecuador keeper Hernán Galíndez made double stops to deny Leandro Bacuna and Livano Comenencia before Caicedo blocked Jürgen Locadia's follow-up. At the 90th minute, Ángelo Preciado’s crossing ball clipped the crossbar, leaving Room beaten but saved by the woodwork as Curaçao desperately cleared.

Germany wins Group E outright following this result and their previous win against the Ivory Coast. The draw leaves Ecuador and Curaçao tied with 1 point each in the group standings. Both teams are facing an uphill battle and must win their final group stage matches to advance to the knockout round of 32. Ecuador will close the group against Germany, while Curaçao faces the Ivory Coast on June 25.

Netizens react to Eloy Room’s historic goalkeeping masterclass against Ecuador

Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room set a World Cup record by making 15 saves in a 0-0 draw against Ecuador, resulting in a massive outpouring of praise on X. Netizens celebrated his 90-minute masterclass, comparing it to Tim Howard's legendary 2014 performance and dubbing it one of the greatest goalkeeping displays in history. Some even compared his and Vozinha’s goalkeeping masterclass in FIFA World Cup 2026 as standout performances.

Let’s have a look at some such tweets:

Room’s 15 saves are the most by any goalkeeper in a 90-minute World Cup match since records began in 1966.