Spain make World Cup history with sixth straight clean sheet, Simon sets shutout record

Spain have made World Cup history with their defense. The 1-0 win over Portugal in the Round of 16 was their sixth straight clean sheet at the World Cup, the most any team has ever managed in a row. The old record of five was shared by Italy in 1990 and Switzerland across 2006-2010.

The streak did not start this tournament. It goes back to a 0-0 draw against Morocco in the 2022 Round of 16, and has continued through this year's group stage draw with Cape Verde, wins over Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, a 3-0 win over Austria in the Round of 32, and now the Portugal game.

Goalkeeper Unai Simon deserves a lot of credit. He has now gone 609 minutes without conceding a goal at the World Cup, breaking the old record of 517 minutes held by Italy's Walter Zenga since 1990. Against Portugal, Simon had to make two real saves, both off Cristiano Ronaldo, including a strong diving stop in the first half. With this defense behind them, Spain look like one of the strongest teams left as they head into the quarterfinals against Belgium.