Spanish Wall: Spain breaks World Cup record with sixth consecutive goal | Football news

Spain’s defense set a World Cup milestone by recording six consecutive clean sheets, with goalkeeper Unai Simon boasting an incredible 609-minute clean sheet. (AP photo)

A superb defensive wall and a record-breaking goalkeeping put Spain in the World Cup history books. Beating arch-rivals Portugal 1-0 in a high-stakes clash on Monday saw La Roja break the World Cup record for most consecutive clean sheets, as keeper Unai Simón extended his historic clean sheet to an incredible 609 minutes.With its sixth consecutive shutout of the tournament, Spain broke the tie with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006–10) and stood alone at the pinnacle of defensive excellence. This remarkable streak dates back to 2022, and began right after a 2-1 loss to Japan in the group stage. They survived an agonizing 0-0 draw against Morocco in Qatar, cruised through a surprising goalless draw against Cape Verde in this edition and are now anchored by four straight wins on their way to the quarter-finals.At the center of this defensive mastery is Athletic Bilbao’s 29-year-old striker, Unai Simon. The Spanish No.1 has already surpassed legendary Italian Walter Zenga’s 1990 benchmark of 517 minutes during Thursday’s clinical 3-0 demolition of Austria. Against Portugal, he guarded his fortress with absolute authority.While Simón arrived in Arlington having made just four saves in the tournament, largely untested due to an isolated back line that limited Austria to zero shots on goal, while he was forced to earn his historic milestone against Portugal. The Bilbao goalkeeper made two key saves in the first half, both denying the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo.The highlight of the evening came when Joao Felix’s header took a powerful deflection off Simón’s shoulder, veering dangerously towards the net. Displaying breathtaking athleticism, the Spaniard positioned himself in the air, reaching back with both hands to retrieve the ball in a spectacular dive.Spain now march into the quarter-finals after six consecutive clean sheets. As they prepare to face either the United States or Belgium in California, Luis de la Fuente’s men proved that while strikers win games, their historic defense is built to win World Cups.