A legendary night for the Curaçao goalkeeper against Ecuador

Eloi Rome scripted one of the most exceptional nights for a goalkeeper in World Cup history when he led his country Curaçao to a goalless draw against Ecuador with a historic defensive performance in the second round of the group stage this Sunday morning.

Roma had 15 shots on goal in the game, the most saves by any goalkeeper in a World Cup game without going into overtime, dating back to 1966, according to the Opta network.

The Curaçao goalkeeper also equaled the all-time record set by American Tim Howard, who made 15 saves against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 before taking his tally to 16 in extra time, according to Mr. Chip Stats.

In the first half alone, Roma made 6 saves, which is the highest number of saves made by a goalkeeper in one half of the 2026 World Cup so far.

Roma also drew the Ecuadorian national team in an unprecedented number in the tournament’s history, after they became the first team to put 15 shots on goal in a single World Cup game without conceding a single goal.

The previous record was held by the Netherlands, who had 13 shots on goal without scoring against Peru in 1978.

Roma left the match with a clean sheet, handing Curaçao a valuable point and writing their name in the World Cup records with one of the greatest individual performances by a goalkeeper in the tournament’s history.