Unai Simon did something Thursday that hadn’t been done since 1990. And he made it look almost routine.
The Spain goalkeeper posted his fourth straight shutout in this World Cup, a 3-0 win over Austria at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. But the real headline is the streak he took down along the way. Simon has now gone 519 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. That beats the old mark of 517 minutes set by Italy’s Walter Zenga during the 1990 tournament. Zenga still holds the record for most consecutive clean sheets at five, but Simon is closing in.
The 36-year-old veteran made four saves against Austria, and his defense in front of him deserves some credit too. But this run feels different. Spain hasn’t allowed a goal since the opening minutes of their first match, and Simon has been locked in the whole time.
This is the same guy who started the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde. Nobody expected that result. Even Simon admitted after the game that Cape Verde caught them off guard. But since that opening stunner, Spain has rolled. They beat Uruguay 1-0, blanked Saudi Arabia 4-0, and now handled Austria without much drama.
What Comes Next for Spain
Spain faces Portugal on Monday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It’s a neighbor-on-neighbor matchup with major stakes. Spain is the betting favorite per DraftKings, but Portugal has looked sharp too. Both teams play possession-heavy styles, and something has to give.
For Simon, the next challenge is keeping Portugal off the board. If he does, he’ll tie Zenga’s record of five straight clean sheets. If he goes beyond that, he’ll own it outright. That’s real history in a sport that doesn’t hand out many easy milestones.
Simon isn’t the flashiest goalkeeper in the tournament. He doesn’t make a lot of highlight-reel saves because his positioning usually eliminates the need for heroics. But when Spain has needed him, he’s been there. That’s the kind of steady presence that carries teams deep into July.
Spain hasn’t won a World Cup since 2010, when they beat the Netherlands in Johannesburg. That team had Iker Casillas in goal. This team has Simon. Different era, same kind of calm at the back.
Is Portugal the team that finally breaks the streak? Or does Simon take this thing all the way to another title? We’ll find out Monday night.
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