Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room made 15 saves against a relentless Ecuador attack, allowing The Blue Wave to earn a 0-0 draw against the heavily favored La Tri on Saturday night and earn the tiny island nation its first-ever World Cup point.
The outcome also allowed Germany, which beat Ivory Coast earlier in the day, to clinch Group E.
The 37-year-old Room, whose shutout of Jamaica last November sent Curacao to its first World Cup, bounced back from a 7-1 loss to Germany with one of the finest performances by a goalkeeper in World Cup history. His save total was one shy of the record — since saves became an official stat in 1966 — of 16 set by Tim Howard of the U.S. against Belgium on July 1, 2014.
