Rival keeper’s record saves deliver Socceroos extra World Cup lifeline

Curacao* goalkeeper Eloy Room has made history with the most saves in a single match in World Cup history, during his team’s battle with Ecuador in Kansas City.

The keeper has also become an instant if accidental hero in Australia, because the gutsy goalless draw has delivered a massive boost for the Socceroos ahead of their crunch clash with Paraguay on Friday.

A single point in Australia’s final Group D game will clinch their spot in the Round of 32 but The Athletic has confirmed Curacao’s draw on Sunday (AEST) increased the Socceroos’ chances of reaching the knockout stages to a huge 90 per cent.

Ecuador and Curacao both on one point after their game – Curacao’s first ever World Cup point – Australia is in a strong position to qualify as one of the eight best third-place teams – even if they lose to Paraguay.

Being poised as a third-place qualifier could also enable Tony Popovic’s Aussie side to play with more freedom in their crunch game on Friday.

They currently sit second in Group D, behind the USA – who have already qualified as group winners – and ahead of Paraguay and Türkiye.

There were insane scenes as goalkeeper Room and the Curacao defence scrambled to keep a clean sheet despite Ecuador having 28 shots.

Room finished the match with 15 saves – and there were plenty of other occasions where his pressure was the only reason his team did not concede.

It was the highest number of saves in a 90 minute match in recorded World Cup history – dating back to 1966. Only Tim Howard stands equal with Room on 15 saves in a single World Cup match. However, the American’s 2014 record was achieved during a 120-minute knockout match.

Room collapsed and appeared to be in tears when the final whistle was blown.

It was a historic day for football, with Curacao becoming the smallest nation – with a population of 55,000 – to ever score a point.

Sky Sports labelled his performance “ridiculous”.

Former English defender Martin Meown said on the BBC, “He’s going to go down in folklore* isn’t he”, while SBS host Niave Owens called it a “goalkeeping performance for the ages”.

But commentators were left bemused* by Australia’s starting line-up against the USA on Saturday AEST, after Socceroos coach Tony Popovic left both goal scorers from the team’s opening World Cup game win sitting on the bench. Popovic has drawn heavy fire since the move backfired. Australia lost to the States 2-0 after a disappointing and flat first half.

Bright spots in the second half included the revelation* that the Socceroos may even have a bona fide* new star on its hands, if Cristian Volpato’s World Cup debut in the green and gold was anything to go by.

A dual citizen* of Italy and Australia, Volpato plays for Sassuolo in Italy’s Serie A. His class was already well known in Europe but the midfielder made a memorable first impression on the Australian public.

There have been growing calls ever since for Popovic to change his starting line-up yet again, this time to include Volpato, Nestory Irankuda and Connor Metcalfe for the Paraguay clash.

The 22-year-old Volpato impressed from his first touch after coming on for Mathew Leckie and was an immediate attacking threat.

“He was a bright spark when he came on — and we needed that,” Socceroos captain Harry Souttar said.

Volpato declined an offer from then Socceroos coach Graham Arnold to represent Australia at the 2022 World Cup and confirmed his commitment to Italy earlier this year, but changed his mind when Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

“In the first game, when we were singing the national anthem, I was getting goosebumps,” Volpato said, after suiting up for the Socceroos.

“Like, even just walking out today, I was tearing up. It was amazing.

“If I knew about this, I would have come a long time ago. So it was really good.

“I’m a hard believer in ‘everything happens for a reason’, and if I knew it was this good, I would have come earlier, like I said before.”

He added: “Today was a special day to make my debut, and many more to come.”

Volpato wowed fans and has even earned comparisons to Socceroos great Harry Kewell.

“It’s every kid’s dream to play in the World Cup, especially every Aussie kid to wear the green and gold,” he said.

“It was special seeing the green and gold in the crowd, it makes you want to give everything for this country. It was amazing.

“I had to give something of my quality. I’m proud of the boys as well, because we didn’t give up ‘til the last minute. I just hope next game we can (win).”

Volpato could prove to be a dynamic combination with Irankunda and Mohamed Toure upfront.

“Nestor’s a really fast player and I wanted to help him with that,” he said.

“I know if I can put him through behind the defence, he’s a very dangerous player. He’s a great kid, I love playing with him.

“Next game is going to be a final and it’s must win from us. I’m sure the boys can put on a good performance.”

The Socceroos play Paraguay in their final group stage game on June 25.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• Curacao: an island in the Caribbean, formerly a part of the Netherlands Antilles until their dissolution in 2010, now a constituent country of the Netherlands
• folklore: the traditional stories and culture of a group of people: and fairytales. the traditional stories, beliefs, and customs of a group of people
• bemused: slightly confused; not knowing what to do or how to understand something
• revelation: the act of making something known that was secret, or a fact that is made known
• bona fide: real, not false, genuine, legitimate
• dual citizen: someone who is a legal citizen of two countries at the same time

EXTRA READING

Australia’s ‘Socceroo’ high school

Socceroos’ dream World Cup start

Unknown player to overnight star

QUICK QUIZ

1. What is the name of the Curacao goalkeeper?
2. How many saves did he record to set a new World Cup record?
3. How did Curacao’s goalless game against Ecuador help Australia?
4. Australian coach Tony Popovic is being called to include which three players in the starting line-up against Paraguay?
5. What was the final score when the USA defeated the Socceroos on Saturday morning (AEST)?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Underdogs
An underdog is described as a person, team, or group competing in a contest who is widely expected to lose. The term can also refer more generally to anyone at a distinct disadvantage or a person with less power, money, or status in society.

Outline the reasons why Curacao were underdogs in this World Cup soccer match:

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Now describe why their result was an amazing effort:

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Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Do you think Cristian Volpato should be in the Socceroos starting line-up in the big match against Paraguay on Friday? State your answer and give five supporting reasons using evidence from the article.

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Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Athlete profile
It’s time to shine a spotlight on our World Cup athletes. Create a template for a character profile that we can fill in with all the information you want to know about some of our Socceroos. Make sure the layout has subtitles, and perhaps questions under each subtitle, to help us fill it in.

Extension: Let’s test your layout. Can you use the character profile layout and fill it in with information about yourself? Check to see if you included enough categories. Will we learn a lot about you, or do you need to add more sections? Share your fact file with your class, so they can learn more about you.