Tears follow history as tiny nation Curacao earn first World Cup point

KANSAS CITY – A grown man is in tears at the press box.

When this bespectacled Curacaoan reporter, 39, started following his national team, there were only a few thousands in the stadium in Willemstad, and he could count the total number of reporters on one hand.

Hence you can understand that it is hard for Carl Ruiter from Extra Curacao, the island’s biggest newspaper, to not be overwhelmed by emotions at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 20.

Surrounded by scores of reporters and media personnel from around the world, and 68,598 spectators including royalty in the form of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, his country conjured a football miracle.

The smallest nation to ever qualify for a FIFA World Cup, Curacao held football-mad Ecuador to a 0-0 draw in the Group E encounter.

A population of about 156,000 matched a nation of over 18 million.

Ruiter and his people owe it to a band of brothers in the Curacao squad who fought tooth and nail for the point and threatened to even take all three.

They also owe it to goalkeeper Eloy Room, who matched a World Cup record by making 15 saves.

There are also grown men crying in the locker room too.

Curacao forward Gervane Kastaneer, who went onto the pitch in the 83rd minute, described the result as “crazy” as he spoke to The Straits Times after the match.

He added: “We have so many boys that I’ve never seen cry. They’ve cried so much on this trip already.

“And that says enough how big this is. Even the big guys were crying.”

An hour before the 7pm kick-off, a crowd – most clad in Ecuadorian yellow – turned up at the Arrowhead Stadium as the American Midwest was transformed into a mini Quito, with tens of thousands of Ecuadorian supporters turning the stands into a vibrant replica of home.

The Curacao support in blue was no higher than 2,000, but they certainly made their presence felt.

Even if the script appeared already written, especially after Curacao’s World Cup debut began with a 7-1 thumping by Germany on June 14.

Three points for the South Americans seemed inevitable; the only question was how many times the ball would find the back of the Curacao net.

But football does not bend to pre-match predictions.

Not always. The sport always has room for the unthinkable, the stuff that proves even difficult in video games.

And here, the minnows dreamt of history. Cape Verde did it with Spain by holding the former champions to a goalless draw and now Curacao showed they can do the unthinkable too.

So for the second straight match at the Arrowhead, a football miracle unfolded.

Lionel Messi’s hat-trick here against Algeria here on June 16 will go down in World Cup history, but this moment will be remembered by an entire country and its people for ages to come.

This tiny Curacao had put on a performance of big heart.

At the end, their fans in blue were in delirium.

The players out on the field, some of them dropped to the turf before they all got together and ran towards their fans behind the goal and others who were behind the bench.

Ecuador had thrown everything, but their efforts got thwarted once, twice, thrice. By the end of the night, Room had made 15 saves to keep the South Americans at bay.

Ecuador fans jeered their team off the pitch, incredulous at the fact that their talented side could not find a cutting edge against Curacao.

After all, this Ecuador side boasts Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie, Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League-winning centre back Willian Pacho, Chelsea’s £100 million (S$170 million) man Moises Caicedo among other established stars who ply their trade in Europe. Their post mortem has begun.

Meanwhile, there will be a party back in the tiny Caribbean island, which is better known for producing top baseball players.

Formerly known as the Netherlands Antilles, that nation dissolved in 2010 when Curacao and Sint Maarten became autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, just as Aruba had in 1986.

Here, they have not just made the World Cup but earned a point.

Ruiter said: “We are on the big stage. Now the world sees us, they literally see us as a nation, they respect our growth. We’re in the beautiful game.”

Curacao will face Ivory Coast in the final group-stage game on June 25, looking to create even more history.

Kastaneer said: “We were dancing in the locker room. This is a big present. Against Germany, that one goal was enough for it to feel like a win for our tiny island. And today, this one point now feels like a win too.

“The fans are so happy and proud and that makes us happy. This is the biggest stage.”