Unai Simon sets World Cup record for minutes without conceding as Spain beat Austria 3-0 | OneFootball

Unai Simon set a World Cup record for minutes without conceding as Spain beat Austria 3-0 in the round of 32 on Thursday.

The Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper has been unbreached across four straight matches in North America, keeping clean sheets against Cape Verde 0-0, Saudi Arabia 4-0 and Uruguay 1-0 in the group stage, then Austria.

Spain have now recorded five consecutive World Cup clean sheets, joining Switzerland and Italy as the only nations to achieve that feat.

Simon has reached 519 minutes without picking the ball out of his net at the tournament, surpassing the 517 set by Italy’s Walter Zenga in 1990, with penalty shootouts not included.

The last time he conceded at a World Cup was the 51st minute of Japan versus Spain in the 2022 group stage in Qatar.

At the other end, Mikel Oyarzabal struck twice and has 15 goals in his last 14 internationals. With solidity at the back and a clinical edge up front, Spain look serious contenders to lift the World Cup on 19 July in New York.

Source: Le Progres