Ecuador held 0–0 by Curaçao as Room breaks World Cup saves record

Curaçao 0–0 Ecuador: Room stands between you and the last 16

Ecuador 0–0 Curaçao in your second Group E match. You had 15 shots on target. Not one went in. Eloy Room, a 37-year-old goalkeeper, saved all 15 of them, a World Cup record for a match without extra time since 1966 (3)(8). Curaçao, playing their first ever World Cup, walked away with their first ever point (5). Your knockout hopes are now hanging by a thread.

Room: the man who broke the game

Room was everywhere. BBC called him "impenetrable" (5). Marca called him "a goalkeeper who is already World Cup history" (15). Kicker ran with "Room becomes Ecuador's nightmare" (14). After the match, Room walked into the dressing room and found Curaçao's minister of sport waiting for him. "I think there'll be a little statue of me on Curaçao," he joked (6)(11). He was not entirely joking.

Germany confirmed as group winners

The draw mathematically settles Group E. Germany are through as group winners. Your team must beat Ivory Coast in the final group game and hope results elsewhere fall your way (2). After a 1–0 loss to Ivory Coast and now this 0–0, you have one point from two matches. Your long unbeaten run, 19 games before the tournament, feels like a different era.

Advocaat and the Dutch royals celebrate

Curaçao coach Dick Advocaat summed up the night: "Dan ben je allemaal één, he?", then you are all one, right? (7). King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands were in the dressing room after the match, celebrating with the players (1)(9). The king told reporters he was "on the edge of my seat" the whole match (17).

Fan reactions

The numbers are brutal. Ecuador now hold the highest xG of any team at this World Cup yet to score a single goal. r/soccer is already calling the two 0–0 matches of this tournament, yours included, the most memorable goalless draws in years. The mood among Ecuador fans online is a mix of disbelief and frustration: you fired 15 shots on target and hit a brick wall named Eloy Room. The record has its own thread.