Inside three minutes, Ecuador’s Enner Valencia burst clear on Curacao’s goal and a finish felt inevitable.
Ten yards out with only the keeper to beat, he looked certain to score. That would have left Curacao with a steep climb and, as in the 7-1 loss to Germany in their World Cup opener, might have set the tone for the night.
But goalkeeper Eloy Room read the strike, dipped low to his left and clawed it around the post — a save that seemed almost unreal.
And that moment did, indeed, define what followed.
By full-time, BBC Sport pundit and former Arsenal defender Martin Keown was joking a calculator might be needed to add up how many times Room had rescued his side.
Ecuador, though, were left to rue their profligacy as World Cup debutants Curacao savoured their first-ever point at the tournament.
Room, the 37-year-old Miami FC stopper, delivered a stunning, record-equalling display, making 15 saves to keep his team level and ultimately secure a 0-0 draw that will be etched in the island’s memory.
According to Opta, since records began in 1966, no goalkeeper has made more stops in 90 minutes of World Cup play.
Only Tim Howard has matched the tally in a single game but, unlike Room, he did not keep a clean sheet, conceding twice in extra time for the USA against Belgium in 2014.
Room joked after the 0-0 that Howard would have been “sweating at home” watching, and that his showing means he “needs a statue in Curacao”.
“Take a bow, Room,” added Keown on BBC One. “Absolutely magnificent.
“The number of saves, you were almost getting a calculator out at the end of the game to count them up.
“It just became a shopping list of saves. His reactions were first class. He seemed destined to keep a clean sheet all night.”
It was a display that powered Room’s nation to their greatest-ever result.