Was this the king of World Cup goalkeeper performances? Why the Japan fan backlash? Day 10 recap
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Was this the king of World Cup goalkeeper performances? Why the Japan fan backlash? Day 10 recap

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On Saturday evening, the tiny Caribbean island of Curacao won their first ever point at a World Cup after drawing 0-0 with Ecuador — helped, in no small part, by a mammoth 15 saves from goalkeeper Eloy Room. Was it the greatest goalkeeping performance in the competition’s history?

The Netherlands earlier delivered one of the performances of the tournament by thrashing Sweden 5-1, raising hopes that the Oranje may finally break their World Cup drought.

With Curacao an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, both games were watched by Dutch King Willem-Alexander, who travelled from Houston to Kansas City to catch both matches. After sitting next to Gianni Infantino for the Netherlands’ win, the royal joked to Dutch broadcaster NOS that he had given the FIFA president “suggestions for the Peace Prize for the coming years”.

The king and Queen Maxima later danced in the Curacao locker room.

Elsewhere, Germany narrowly averted a shock after their late comeback defeated Ivory Coast 2-1, while Japan thrashed Tunisia 4-0.

Here is what happened on day 10…

Matchday 10 results

Group F: Netherlands 5 Sweden 1
Group E: Germany 2 Ivory Coast 1
Group E: Ecuador 0 Curacao 0
Group F: Tunisia 0 Japan 4

Did Curacao’s Room deliver the World Cup’s best-ever goalkeeper show?

Ecuador had 75 per cent possession against Curacao and 27 shots. None found the net due to the inspired form of Room, a 37-year-old goalkeeper for second-tier U.S. club Miami FC.

Having made 15 saves, Room was just one short of tying former USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard’s all-time World Cup record of 16, set in a 2014 second round defeat to Belgium — though The Athletic’s data provider Opta only credits the American with 15 in that match.

Plus, with Howard’s tally counting an additional 30 minutes of extra-time, along with failing to account for the fact that the former Everton and Manchester United man conceded twice, does Room’s clean sheet in normal time mean that the Curacaoan’s performance was the best in tournament history?

There is a useful metric with which to measure this.

Expected goals on target (xGOT) is a post-shot measurement which calculates how many goals a team would have been expected to score based on the quality of their efforts on goal. A shot from the edge of the box destined for the top corner, for example, would have a far higher number attached to it than a meek toe-poke at the goalkeeper from the same position.

In effect, subtracting the actual number of goals conceded from the xGOT can suggest how many goals an individual goalkeeper was responsible for preventing.

Ecuador’s 15 shots on targets led to an xGOT total of 2.48 — meaning Room was responsible for preventing between two and three goals single-handedly.

It was a remarkable feat, especially considering his unstoried career to date — but it only works out as the eighth-best goalkeeping performance since Opta records began in 1966 (with apologies to pre-war stars such as Spain’s Ricardo Zamora and Czechoslovakia’s Frantisek Planicka).

Instead, the advanced metrics back up Howard’s claim to have delivered the best performance in tournament history — with Belgium recording a mammoth xGOT of 6.52. Though the American conceded twice, he saved at least another four goals single-handedly.

For reference, that is almost 50 per cent more than the next best in World Cup history, delivered by Romania’s Bogdan Stelea in a 1-0 defeat to Croatia at the 1998 tournament.

Limit it only to goalkeepers that kept a clean sheet? Then the honour goes to Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny, who faced an xGOT of 2.69 at the last World Cup against Saudi Arabia.

But which do you think deserves to be remembered as the best?

Could the World Cup’s most famous title drought be coming to an end?

It is now 52 years since the best Dutch side of all-time were expected to cement their place in history against West Germany in the 1974 World Cup final. They took the lead through a penalty in the opening minutes, won by Johan Cruyff and scored by Johan Neeskens — but could not find the net again. West Germany recovered to record a 2-1 victory.

Talented teams in the 1980s and 1990s never managed to get as close again, tournaments often ending in fallouts and controversy. It took until 2010 for another, less talented side to reach the final — losing in extra-time to Spain after a bad-tempered game.

Considering their place in the sport’s history, it is almost inconceivable that the inventors of Total Football have failed to win the World Cup. But after a 5-1 win against Sweden, and despite the disappointments of the past, the Dutch are asking whether this year, once again, may be their chance.

This Netherlands side may not be the vintage of previous years — under manager Ronald Koeman, they are more risk-averse than previous squads, and lack top-class individual attacking talent.

However, they do boast one of the best defences in the competition, and what’s more, the excitement against Sweden came in the form of their unsung forward line — in which Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey, previously unfancied by Koeman, scored twice. Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, another whose form has been questioned, also starred with two goals.

Brian Brobbey scored twice in the Netherlands’ hammering of Sweden (Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

This was an exciting performance in which the Dutch were virtually unplayable for the first 15 minutes — it was their best performance at a World Cup since thrashing Spain 5-1 in their opening game of the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

Virtually guaranteed of winning their group, a tricky tie against Morocco likely awaits in the last 32 — but those in orange are beginning to dream.

Japanese supporters told to clean up at home — not just at stadium

Japan’s supporters once more cleaned up the stadium after their 4-0 win against Tunisia in Monterrey — continuing one of the most iconic traditions of recent tournaments.

Pre-match, head coach Hajime Moriyasu had said that “it is a part of the Japanese culture that we can be proud of in the world”, but added that he hoped that it did not lead to fewer jobs for cleaners.

However, another angle has caught light back in Japan — with a social media movement highlighting gender inequality sweeping across the nation, telling men following the team to ensure they clean up at home as well.

“It seems that Japanese men picking up trash at soccer fields is gaining attention, but the hours Japanese men spend on household labor are extremely low even by international standards,” wrote one commenter in a viral post. “First, I hope they share the labour inside the home.”

“Picking up trash is wonderful, but I want you to realize something,” wrote another. “Japanese men’s time spent on housework and childcare is among the lowest in the world. Gender inequality ranks below 100th too. In other words, they usually don’t do any cleaning, but they only do it when they know it’ll get them recognition.”

Many have been sharing an edited version of the Japanese Metro’s famous ‘Manners Posters’ — a series which encourages commuters to obey etiquette such as picking up litter, being mindful of their luggage, and not putting feet on seats.

Their new version depicts a Japan fan tidying up a stadium, while an inset panel shows the same supporter on his phone back home, leaving his partner to carry out household chores.

“Please do it at home,” they conclude.

What to know about Sunday’s games

Broadly, Sunday will see three big teams look to get their campaigns back on track after disappointing starts — Spain, Belgium and Uruguay all drew games they would have expected to win last Monday.

Pre-tournament favorites Spain, set to co-host the 2030 World Cup, will face 2034 hosts Saudi Arabia in Atlanta, close to their Chattanooga base. Star player Lamine Yamal says he is not yet ready to play a full game as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Belgium’s golden generation has waned, likely taking them out of the bracket of true tournament contenders — but there is still enough talent in this group to make a deep run. They face Iran, who have said they will lodge a FIFA complaint over their World Cup travel issues, with the team not permitted to stay overnight in the United States on matchdays. That match takes place in Los Angeles.

Two-time winners Uruguay looked limited creatively against Saudi Arabia last time out — but should Cape Verde defend as they did against Spain, the South Americans could be frustrated once again. In one of the good news stories of this World Cup, Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha’s mum will be there to watch in Miami, after she was granted a visa to the United States.

Meanwhile, in the night’s final game, Egypt faces New Zealand in Vancouver with a little bit of history at stake. Despite appearing in a combined seven tournaments, neither side has won a men’s World Cup match — both will see this as their opportunity.

Fixtures:

Group H: Spain vs Saudi Arabia (12pm ET; 5pm BST)
Group G: Belgium vs Iran (3pm ET; 8pm BST)
Group H: Uruguay vs Cape Verde (6pm ET; 11pm BST)
Group G: New Zealand vs Egypt (9pm ET; 2am BST)



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