Dick Advocaat’s thoughts turned to the streets, bars and homes of Curacao as his players celebrated their first ever World Cup point after a 0-0 draw with Ecuador in Kansas City on 20 June, the 78-year-old coach dedicating the result to a nation of 156,000 people who had never stopped believing.
The former Netherlands coach said Eloy Room’s extraordinary 15-save performance had delivered justice for supporters who remained jubilant even after a humbling 7-1 defeat by Germany on their World Cup debut six days earlier.
“The people on Curacao have given us their support from the outset,” Advocaat said. “Particularly last week, after the 7-1, people were still celebrating on the island and people were full of joy. It was a mad house tonight. For people whose life is not always that easy, I really wish them to celebrate this success.”
Advocaat had been visibly emotional during the Germany match but was noticeably calmer against Ecuador, a sign he felt his side were in control of their own performance. “Today I wasn’t that emotional, not like during the first match, because I felt that we were properly playing the game. What did evoke emotions during the first match was the fact that the audience was so enthusiastic in welcoming the players after a 7-1 defeat. Usually you are criticised in such a case, but the opposite happened. The team gave it back to the audience today. I thought that was a wonderful moment.”
For many observers, Curacao’s heavy opening defeat had appeared to confirm fears that FIFA’s expanded 48-team tournament would produce a string of mismatched contests. Advocaat rejected that narrative firmly. “Maybe Germany came too early. That day they were simply out of our league, but today the team was standing as it should have been standing. They were fighting like lions, and then you see what you can achieve against a team playing at a very high level.”
With Curacao still alive heading into their final group fixture against Ivory Coast, Advocaat had a simple message for those celebrating back home. “Keep supporting us, keep helping us. It gives us wings. We fight for the country.”
