20 min: A nicely worked opportunity on the left touchline results in a line-breaking service to Valencia, whose effort is saved by Room.

Reader Peter writes in:

From behind, Tahith Chong’s bushy, dyed locks and blue-and-yellow kit are reminiscent of Colombia legend Carlos Valderrama in his 1994 World Cup pomp. Thanks for the great memory Curaçao!

I hadn’t noticed this before but now it’s all I can see. Valderrama of course no stranger to playing football at this stadium as a member of the Colorado Rapids, Miami Fusion (RIP), and Tampa Bay Mutiny (also RIP).

18 min: Curaçao having some real problems plying through a very aggressive Ecuador press. Finally they break through and find space, but Tahith Chong’s effort in the box is blocked.

16 min: Moisés Caicedo plays a nice ball forward for Gonzalo Plata, who steps over the ball on the edge of the box and is dispossessed.

14 min: Yeboah and Vite work a nice give-and-go along the right flank, with Vite attempting a curled shot in the box. It goes high and wide, but it’s nice to see Ecuador working possession for a chance like that.

13 min: Another chance, this time from Yeboah along the right, and under-hit effort on goal well saved by Room.

12 min: It seems like most of Ecuador’s plan for this is to try to draw Curaçao forward then beat them over the top. It nearly worked on that early Valencia chance, and it’s been tried 3 or 4 times more since then already.

9 min: Once again, Curaçao works a good chance against the run of play, with Locadia feeding Juninho Bacuna who hit a low effort that was blocked.

….actually, looks like the whole play was offside. But still, another warning shot from the minnows.

8 min: Just as I type that last update, Tahith Chong surges forward with the ball but his attempted service falls well short. There was a real opportunity there.

5 min: It’s early, but Curaçao is looking confident going forward. No clear chances yet but it’s not hard to imagine them getting one.

On replay, it’s clear Enner Valencia found space between the center backs way too easily on that last chance, and their positioning allowed him to be onside for the long ball from the back. Room saved the backline but that can’t keep happening if they hope to make history today.

2 min: A big chance, and a huge save by Eloy Room on Enner Valencia! He came out well to stop Valencia’s effort after a long ball over the top.

1 min: An early moment of nerves for Ecuador, knocking an easy pass along the backline out of bounds. Curaçao not looking afraid to press.

A moment of appreciation for Sebastián Beccacece, coach of Ecuador, and his excellent hair.

The national anthem of Curaçao is next: Himno di Kòrsou.

I’m enjoying the brass-forward arrangement they’re using for this.

First off, it’s the national anthem of Ecuador: Salve, Oh Patria (Hail, O Fatherland).

It sounds loud and boisterous in there.

The giant flags are out, the players are in the tunnel, kick-off looms!

What are you all thinking will happen here? Can Curaçao pull off a gigantic upset?

From the early looks at Kansas City Stadium, this looks like it’ll be a heavily pro-Ecuador crowd.

Not entirely surprising, as Curaçao has about the population of Macon, Georgia and Ecuador has, uh, way more than that.

Two changes in the Curaçao lineup: Joshua Brenet replaces Riechedly Bazoer at center back. Juriën Gaari also comes in at center back, with forward Sontje Hansen making way.

Two changes as well for Ecuador: Pervis Estupiñan replaces Joe Ordoñéz in defense, while Alan Minda makes way for Jordy Alcívar in midfield.

Reader Eric writes in:

Was the point to annoy all of Texas with the BBQ dig?

What dig?! Texas BBQ is great. All BBQ is great. It’s just that Kansas City’s is better, in the opinion of this not-at-all biased native Kansas Citian.

The referee tonight is Ma Ning from China, where he has amassed quite a large fanbase (for a referee) owing to the country’s failure to qualify for any World Cup since 2002. He’s a big enough deal to have attracted sponsorships from the likes of Lenovo and Hisense, according to the BBC.

Nicknamed the “card master” owing to his strict approach, this will be Ma Ning’s World Cup debut – the first game officiated by a Chinese referee since the 2002 edition.

Elsewhere in Group E…

Germany left it late but escaped with an important win against Côte d’Ivoire, thanks to a late goal from Deniz Undav.

Read Leander Schaerlaeckens’ match report: