Moisés Caicedo Ecuador watch now turns to Germany after La Tri were held to a damaging 0-0 World Cup draw by Curaçao.
That leaves Ecuador almost certainly needing a positive result against Germany in their final Group E match to keep their qualification hopes alive.
La Tri had already suffered a dramatic late defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening game. With Germany still to come, the Curaçao match looked like the fixture Ecuador had to win.
They could not find a way through.
Caicedo Sets Ecuador Record But Room Steals The Night
Eloy Room was the main reason Ecuador had to settle for a point.
Reuters reports that the Curaçao goalkeeper made 15 saves, setting a record for a 90-minute World Cup match. Tim Howard still holds the overall World Cup saves record with 16, but that came after extra time against Belgium in 2014.
Room’s first major save came after Caicedo released Enner Valencia inside the opening minutes.
Valencia’s effort looked bound for the corner, but Room pushed it away and set the tone for a remarkable night.
Caicedo still produced a major individual marker.
Chelsea’s official report says the midfielder attempted 112 passes, breaking an Ecuadorian World Cup record. He also threatened from set pieces and forced Room to hold a second-half effort from range.
That is the frustration for Chelsea and Ecuador supporters.
Caicedo had influence, control and attacking involvement, but Ecuador still lacked the final action needed to turn dominance into three points.
Chelsea Watch Point Before Germany
For Chelsea, this was another useful World Cup workload marker for Caicedo.
He remains central to Ecuador’s structure, trusted to dictate possession and carry responsibility in a game they had to control.
ReadChelsea has already followed Enzo Fernández’s Argentina World Cup involvement and Chelsea’s wider tournament storylines, and Caicedo now has one of the clearest pressure points left in the group stage.
Kendry Páez remained an unused substitute, which adds another Chelsea angle to Ecuador’s situation.
The focus now moves to Germany on Thursday.
Ecuador have one point from two matches, and the route forward looks narrow. Alongside the top two from each group, eight third-placed sides will reach the round of 32, but Ecuador cannot rely on one point being enough.
Caicedo has given them control and a record passing night.
Now Ecuador need that control to become a result against the group’s strongest side.
