Goalkeeper Eloy Room produced one of the most extraordinary individual performances in World Cup history on Saturday, making 15 saves to help Curaçao hold Ecuador to a goalless draw in Kansas City — earning the tiny Caribbean island nation its first-ever point at football's biggest tournament.

Room's save tally is the most recorded in any 90-minute World Cup match since 1966, surpassed only by American goalkeeper Tim Howard's 16 stops in an extra-time defeat against Belgium in 2014. The 37-year-old denied Ecuador — a South American side ranked more than 50 places above Curaçao — time and again, making crucial stops from Enner Valencia, a former West Ham forward, and a second-half header from Gonzalo Plata, among others. Ecuador finished with 28 shots, 15 of them on target, but found no way past Room. "After that first save early in the game, I told myself: nothing is going in today," Room said afterwards. "And that's what happened."

Curaçao, an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands with a population of around 156,000, is the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the World Cup. The result came as a relief after a bruising 7-1 opening defeat against Germany six days earlier, and was celebrated wildly — in the stadium and back home. Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima attended the match at Arrowhead Stadium, home of NFL side the Kansas City Chiefs, and reportedly joined players in the dressing room to celebrate. Room, who is Netherlands-born but eligible for Curaçao through his father, revealed that Queen Máxima kissed him after the game. Room also paid tribute to late reserve goalkeeper Jairzinho Pieter, who died suddenly in 2019, by holding up a shirt bearing his image.

Coach Dick Advocaat, 78, who at his age is the oldest head coach ever to manage at a World Cup, credited the island's supporters for sustaining the team's belief after the heavy opening loss. "The people on Curaçao have given us their support from the outset — particularly after the 7-1, people were still celebrating," he said. "For people whose life is not always that easy, I really wish them to celebrate this success." Advocaat also revealed, with a smile, that Room had been "a little bit irritated" before kick-off — a mood he suggested the team should try to replicate. Room himself confirmed the psychology: "I know that when I'm a bit annoyed, I produce my best performances."

With the draw, Curaçao keep their hopes of reaching the knockout phase alive, though they will need to defeat Ivory Coast in their final group game to advance. Ivory Coast narrowly lost 2-1 to Germany deep into stoppage time, showing they remain a formidable opponent. Captain Leandro Bacuna acknowledged the challenge but struck a defiant note: "We are such a small nation, but we have such a big heart. We want to make everyone on Curaçao proud." Room's Instagram following, meanwhile, soared from under 100,000 to more than 700,000 overnight — a social media surge reminiscent of what happened to Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha after a similar heroic display against Spain earlier in the tournament.