Goalkeeper Eloy Room was the toast of Curaçao after his 15 saves ensured a 0-0 draw against Ecuador in their second ever World Cup match.
“I spoke to the minister in the changing room. I think he should see about putting up a statue in Curaçao,” Room joked as he clutched his man of the match trophy after the game.
The result means Curaçao are still in with a chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds, though they will almost certainly have to beat a strong Cote d’Ivoire side to progress.
The 37-year-old, who currently plays for Miami FC, is the Caribbean nation’s most capped player, jointly with Leandro Bacuna, with 74 international appearances.
Born in Nijmegen, Room spent the first decade of his career at Vitesse Arnhem and returned there in 2023, but his contract was ended a year later when the club was facing bankruptcy.
He said it had been a long road to his country’s first ever World Cup qualification. “Eleven years ago it was my dream to play in the World Cup for Curaçao. And now here I am. It’s unreal. I played a near perfect game.”
Advocaat “madhouse”
Livano Comenencia, who scored the country’s first World Cup goal in the 7-1 defeat against Germany, said: “It’s history. We already made history with the first goal and now with one point as well.”
Head coach Dick Advocaat, the oldest ever team manager at a World Cup at 78, paid tribute to the fans who packed into bars on the island and turned one side of the Kansas City Stadium a sea of blue as they celebrated after the game.
“The people on Curacao have given us their support from the outset,” Advocaat said. “It was a madhouse tonight. So I think that for people whose life is not always that easy, I really wish them this success.”
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