By Gabriel Araujo
KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 20 (Reuters) - Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room needed two minutes to make one of the World Cup's most impressive saves so far, stopping Ecuador forward Enner Valencia from close range and setting the tone for a career-defining performance that created history on Saturday.
Room made 15 saves in the 0-0 draw with Ecuador in Group E, the most in a 90-minute match in the tournament's history, hauling the smallest nation ever to play at a World Cup - with a population
of about 156,000 - to their first point.
Curacao joined fellow tournament debutants Cape Verde in finding unexpected heroes in goal after the African nation's Vozinha helped hold heavyweights Spain to a 0-0 draw in their opening round match in Group H.
The 37-year-old Room, the oldest player in Curacao's squad, withstood relentless Ecuadorean pressure, saving shots that included an 18-metre effort from John Yeboah in the 41st minute and a second-half header from Valencia.
Only the United States' Tim Howard has produced more stops in a single World Cup match, with 16 in an extra-time defeat by Belgium in the last 16 at the finals in 2014.
"I was not thinking about that during the game," Room told reporters, though joking that he was annoyed he was not able to reach Howard's mark. He described the draw as a team effort.
Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez said Room had the game of his life against the South American side.
'THIS IS HISTORY'
Soccer history is no stranger to the Curacao goalkeeper.
In 2019, Room made more than a dozen saves in his country's first Gold Cup win against Honduras. Shining on the biggest stage, however, marked an additional landmark for the nation of about 156,000 people - and a personal accomplishment.
Netherlands-born Room told FIFA in an interview earlier this year that the reason he decided to play for Curacao was dreaming as a little kid to make it to the World Cup with the country.
He became eligible to represent Curacao through his father, and said he used to visit the country on vacation in his youth. Patrick Kluivert contacted him to join the team in 2015, when the former Netherlands international managed the side.
Social media also reflected the impact of his performance, with Room's Instagram account jumping to around 700,000 followers from fewer than 100,000 before the game - a boom similar to what happened to Cape Verde's Vozinha.
Born near the German border, the six-feet-three Room plays for Miami FC in the USL Championship, but spent most of his career at Dutch club Vitesse. He has also played for Columbus Crew in the MLS and PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie.
Curacao is an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the game attracted royalty.
With the Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima in attendance at the match, Room himself became royalty for Curacao. He said the royals' celebrated, dancing with the team after the match, and that the queen even kissed him.
"Curacao! We got a point! This is history!" a journalist from the Caribbean country shouted as he jumped in the press box after the final whistle in Kansas City.
Head coach Dick Advocaat told reporters that his side might need Ecuador reduced by four players to win. In the end, one man called Room was enough to secure them a historic draw.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo, Editing by Ken Ferris)
