Ecuador missed a golden opportunity and drew 0-0 against Curacao this Saturday in Kansas City, a result that seriously compromises its aspirations of advancing to the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
The team led by Sebastián Beccacece dominated the match from start to finish, generating numerous scoring chances and registering 27 shots, but was met with a historic performance by goalkeeper Eloy Room, who became the great figure of the night by making 15 saves, the second highest number recorded in a World Cup match.
With this tie, Ecuador has just one point in two days and will be forced to win on the last date against Germany, undefeated leader of Group E with six points and already qualified for the next round. Ivory Coast is in second place with three points, while Curacao celebrated the first point in its history in a World Cup.
Room, 37 years old, practically alone supported the Caribbean team against the constant Ecuadorian siege. The goalkeeper repeatedly prevented the goal from shots by Enner Valencia, Moisés Caicedo, Piero Hincapié and other Tricolor leaders.
“I knew it had been a busy game, with a lot of saves. I’m a little upset about not having Tim Howard’s record, because he had 16, but I think I was sweating at the possibility of defeat because I was close,” the Curacao goalkeeper commented with a laugh after the match.
Frustration was evident for Ecuador, which came under pressure after the 1-0 defeat against Ivory Coast in its debut. Despite the massive support of thousands of Ecuadorian fans in the stands, the team once again showed finishing problems and still has not scored a single goal in the tournament.
Coach Sebastián Beccacece regretted the result and defended the performance of his players. “In football there are things that cannot be explained. When you have 27 shots the result is obvious. The team deserved more than what they got in the two games,” he said.
Curacao, led by the experienced Dick Advocaat, resisted every Ecuadorian attack and was even close to causing a complete surprise through dangerous counterattacks in the second half.
Now, Ecuador will face a real final against Germany next Thursday. The generation led by Moisés Caicedo, Willian Pacho and Enner Valencia will need a perfect performance to avoid a premature elimination that would be one of the great disappointments of the 2026 World Cup.
