Eloy Room just delivered one of the greatest individual goalkeeping performances in World Cup history. The 37-year-old Curacao shot-stopper made 15 saves in a 0-0 draw against Ecuador on June 20, earning his country its first-ever point at the tournament and writing himself into the record books in the process.
Those 15 saves matched the all-time record for a 90-minute men’s World Cup match since detailed tracking began in 1966. The only keeper with more saves in a single World Cup game is Tim Howard, who made 16 against Belgium in the 2014 tournament, but that match went to extra time. In a regulation 90-minute window, Room’s performance stands alone at the top.
A wall in Kansas City
The match, played at Kansas City Stadium, was by every statistical measure a siege. Ecuador peppered Room’s goal relentlessly, but the Miami FC keeper turned away everything thrown at him.
For context, this is a Curacao team that had been on the receiving end of a 7-1 demolition by Germany in their opening match. Going from conceding seven goals to conceding zero in the span of days is the kind of turnaround that doesn’t happen without someone having the game of their life.
