Ecuador had 27 shots without scoring a single goal, Curacao's goalkeeper said he needs a statue.

On June 14, Houston. Eloy Room picked the ball out of the net for the seventh time. The Germans had just put seven past him, and Sofascore gave him a 4.7 rating, essentially meaning he was invisible on the pitch.

On June 21, same goalkeeper, same World Cup. Ecuador fired 27 shots, 15 on target, had 75% possession, and an expected goals (xG) of 3.08. On any other matchday in the group stage, those numbers would be enough to win by two goals.

The scoreboard read 0-0.

Room made 15 saves, getting up off the turf about once every six minutes, with a 100% success rate on his forays off his line. Opta crunched the numbers: based on the quality of chances, he should have conceded another 2.48 goals. He turned expected goals into a meaningless stat.

Fifteen saves in 90 minutes, a first in World Cup history. Tim Howard made 16 against Belgium in 2014, but that match went to 120 minutes of extra time. Room reached 15 in just 90. Sofascore gave him a perfect 10.0 this time.

After the match, a reporter asked how he felt.

"I need a statue in Curaçao now."

If a big-name goalkeeper said that, it would be called arrogance. But for a Caribbean island nation with a population of 158,000, it's a genuine infrastructure request. 158,000 people, roughly the size of a medium-sized county in China. Curaçao set foot on a World Cup pitch for the first time in their history, replacing Iceland (population about 330,000) as the least populated nation ever to qualify for the tournament. Four days earlier, they let in seven against Germany; this time, they kept Ecuador at bay for the full 90 minutes.

Holding that line for 90 minutes was a 37-year-old goalkeeper. Born in Nijmegen, Netherlands, he chose to represent Curaçao, currently plays for Miami FC in the US second division, with a contract running until November 2026.

"I knew no ball was going to go in today," Room said after the game, his tone as calm as if he were giving a weather forecast.

Ecuador's coach, Beccacece, could only shrug helplessly at the press conference: "There are things you cannot explain in football – we've had 27 shots on goal but we couldn't score."

Twenty-seven shots, no goals. You can't explain it.

Ecuador had navigated a steady qualifying campaign to reach the World Cup, only to be shut down in the box by a goalkeeper from an island nation. Foreign media put it bluntly: "Ecuador didn't draw Curaçao today. They drew Eloy Room."

Opta's database also holds a bizarre record: the two teams combined for 18 shots on target, the highest total in a 0-0 draw at the World Cup since records began in 1966. Ecuador hurled the ball at goal 27 times, all turned away by the hands of this 37-year-old.

Curaçao earned the first World Cup point in their history. The celebration lasted just three days. They lost 2-0 to Ivory Coast in the third round, finishing bottom with one point. The World Cup experience card for a population of 158,000 was over.

The Germans in Group E, meanwhile, breathed a huge sigh of relief. They secured top spot with two straight wins, scoring 10 goals in the group stage, finally shaking off the bad luck of consecutive group-stage exits in 2018 and 2022. Even with a 2-1 loss to Ecuador in the final match, the German machine had crawled out of the mire. Reaching the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years was a long-awaited relief.

Ecuador's final group match against Germany was the most emotionally charged game of the group stage. Sane scored a flash goal in the 2nd minute, making it look like an easy German win. Nelson Angulo equalized with a world-class strike in the 9th minute. Then came a long, grueling stalemate. In the 77th minute, a corner kick, a flick-on at the near post, and Gonzalo Plata slotted the ball home. 2-1. Ecuador became only the second non-European team in World Cup history to come from behind and beat Germany, following Japan in 2022.

At the final whistle, Beccacece vaulted the barrier and ran into the stands to embrace the fans. Just over ten days earlier, he had said in a press conference, "Twenty-seven shots and not a single goal, some things you just can't explain." Now, no explanation was needed.

Room returned to Florida to keep playing in the second division.

"I think in 40 years I will remember this."

Forty years from now, he'll still remember this day. As for tomorrow, he needs to get back to the Miami FC locker room and deal with the second-division away-day bus.