Kansas City: Ecuador's hopes of reaching the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage suffered a setback after they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Curacao in their Group E clash in Kansas City.
Curacao's goalkeeper Eloy Room produced a sensational display to help his nation earn its first-ever World Cup point.
Ecuador dominated possession and created numerous opportunities throughout the contest, but they found themselves repeatedly denied by the inspired Room, who delivered one of the standout goalkeeping performances of the tournament so far.
Ecuador threatened almost immediately when captain Enner Valencia raced onto a long ball inside three minutes, only for Room to produce a superb save. Curacao responded with a rare attack of their own as Sherel Floranus fired wide, but the remainder of the opening half largely belonged to Ecuador.
Also read | US defends Iran FIFA World Cup travel restrictions, says discussions ongoing
John Yeboah tested Room after a lively run, while Pedro Vite curled narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area. Valencia was again denied from close range before Gonzalo Plata and Yeboah both forced further saves from the Curacao goalkeeper. At the other end, Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez was largely untroubled, making just a routine stop from Livano Comenencia before the break.
The pattern continued after halftime as Ecuador pushed relentlessly for the breakthrough. Moises Caicedo tried his luck from distance, while Plata fired and saw a close-range header brilliantly pushed away by Room.
Despite spending long periods under pressure, Curacao remained dangerous on the counterattack and nearly stole the lead when Galindez produced an excellent double save to deny opportunity to Leandro Bacuna and Comenencia.
Room's heroics continued as he scrambled across the goal to keep out Valencia's far-post header before stopping Kevin Rodriguez from the resulting corner. Substitute Nilson Angulo was also denied by the Curacao shot-stopper, while Piero Hincapie headed over from close range after another Ecuador corner.
Also read | Serena, Rafa And tennis’s tryst with nostalgia
As Ecuador threw everything forward in the closing stages, Room remained unbeatable. Angulo saw another effort saved, while Angelo Preciado came closest to breaking the deadlock when his cross clipped the crossbar late on.
The result leaves Ecuador without a win in four World Cup matches and facing a difficult final group game against Germany. For Curacao, however, the draw represents another landmark moment, securing the Caribbean nation's first point and first clean sheet at a World Cup finals tournament.
