00:02When Curaçao qualified for the World Cup, they completed a fairytale journey onto football's
00:08grandest stage. With a population of just over 150,000, they are the smallest country to ever
00:15qualify for the tournament finals. But what I said in the beginning also in the Dutch language,
00:22everybody gets surprised. Why not Curaçao? So that's what we tried to do.
00:30Undeterred by their 7-1 loss to Germany in their opening game,
00:34Curaçao's fighting spirit shone through against Ecuador, achieving an historic milestone.
00:40By holding Ecuador to a goalless draw, the Blue Wave earned its maiden World Cup point,
00:46and they had goalkeeper Aloy Ruhm to thank. Ruhm's heroics denied a relentless Ecuador attack,
00:54making an extraordinary 15 saves, the second most in a single game in World Cup history.
01:02Curaçao's draw against Ecuador was another in a string of upsets at this World Cup,
01:07as the tournament minnows achieved an historic milestone.
01:18DR Congo are participating at their first World Cup in 52 years,
01:22and their first since competing as Zaire way back in 1974. It's an historic occasion for the African
01:30side, though preparations for their drought-breaking tournament were anything but smooth sailing.
01:36Before arriving in the United States, they were forced to spend three weeks in isolation in Europe
01:41due to an Ebola outbreak in their home country. The preparation was very good. It didn't affect us
01:49on anything. We prepared very good in Europe. Everything was perfect. Despite this complication,
01:58the Leopards were full of belief heading into their first game against Portugal,
02:02one of the highly fancied teams at the World Cup.
02:06It means the world to be a part of this team that's going to attend to the first World Cup
02:12since 52
02:13years. I'm really happy, really proud of it, and I can't look forward. I can't wait to play the first
02:20game. All the teams feel very good, and we're confident to do a good game against one of the best
02:26teams in the world. Not only did DR Congo score their first goal at the World Cup, they also secured
02:33their
02:33first points with Johann Wisser heading home to give his side a scarcely believable 1-1 draw.
02:41After 52 years away from the World Cup, DR Congo conjured up the most famous results in their history
02:47while overcoming a severe Ebola outbreak. The squad was forced into isolation before arriving in the
02:54United States. Preparations that were anything but smooth sailing.
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