Advocaat full of praise Curaçao players, fans 

KANSAS, United States (CMC):

Curaçao’s head coach Dick Advocaat has lauded his team for their inspirational performance against Ecuador on Saturday in the FIFA World Cup, which earned them a hard-fought, goalless draw.

Goalkeeper Eloy Room produced a record-tying 15 saves as Curaçao grabbed their first-ever point at a World Cup and kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament.

Speaking after the match, Advocaat said he was especially proud of the team, which was thumped 7-1 by Germany in their opener last week.

“The people of Curaçao have given us their support from the of outset. Particularly last week, after the 7-1, people were still celebrating on the island and people were full of joy.

“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,” Advocaat said.

“They were fighting like lions, and then you see what you can achieve against a team that’s playing on a very high level with very high individual levels of the players.”

With Curaçao guaranteed a spot in the round of 32 if they defeat Ivory Coast in their final preliminary match, Advocaat said the team would do everything in its power to achieve the desired result.

“What I would say to the people? Keep supporting us, keep helping us. It gives us wings. We fight for the country,” he said.