Spain's defensive wall stands firm: Unai Simón sets World Cup record ahead of Portugal clash

Defensive fortress

Spain has become the tournament's most stubborn defence, joining Mexico as the only teams yet to concede a goal through four matches. The 3-0 round-of-16 win over Austria was the most complete performance yet, with the Spanish side allowing zero shots on target, the first time a team has done so in a World Cup knockout match since Germany against Argentina in 2014. Across the entire tournament, Unai Simón has faced only four shots on goal, two of them against Saudi Arabia.

Simón's record and modesty

During the Austria match, Simón broke the all-time World Cup record for consecutive minutes without conceding, surpassing the 517-minute mark set by Italy's Walter Zenga at Italia '90. The Athletic Club goalkeeper now stands at 519 minutes and counting. Despite the milestone, he deflected praise toward the collective effort.

The record speaks better of the team than of me. When I think about the record, what I see are the numbers: how little they shoot at our goal and how little we concede. For me, that is the most significant thing.

Simón also insisted that any of Spain's three goalkeepers could have achieved the same feat, calling the trio of himself, David Raya, and Joan García "the best goalkeeper trio in the World Cup."

Laporte and Cubarsí partnership

The centre-back pairing of Pau Cubarsí (19) and Aymeric Laporte has been central to Spain's solidity. Laporte, who arrived at the tournament after a difficult club season with Athletic, has been pivotal in building play from the back, completing 90 successful passes in four matches. His experience complements Cubarsí's youthful composure, and together they have neutralised high-pressing opponents like Austria.

Portugal awaits

Spain now faces Portugal in the quarter-finals on Monday, a rematch of the Nations League final that Portugal won. Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41, remains a focal point of respect.

He is not the same as a few years ago, when he was at Real Madrid in his prime, but you have to try to keep him as far from the area as possible because when a ball reaches him in the box he is decisive, as happened in the Nations League final.

Yamal's defensive work

Simón also highlighted the defensive contribution of young winger Lamine Yamal, often praised only for his attacking flair.

He is a decisive player in attack, but in defence he helps us enormously. He runs a lot and it is a hallmark. He is the first to recover balls, and that motivates the rest of us. We don't need to convince him of anything; his defensive work is there.